By Kehinde Okeowo
Cameron Norrie claimed Indian Wells Masters to become the first British man to do so.
Though the BNP Paribas Open final saw a debutant in ATP finals take on another tennis star with just one title in his career, the final lived up to its billing.
After losing the first set and facing a break deficit in the second set, Cameron rallied back to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to win the prestigious Indian Wells title.
Cameron, whose exploits at the competition moved him to a career-high ranking of 16 in the world, could not hide his joy after the match as he said:
” It means so much to me, my biggest title. I’m so happy, I can’t even describe it right now. It was a strange match today but absolutely massive for me and my team and I can’t really believe it. If you would’ve told me I would have won the tournament before the tournament started, I wouldn’t believe you. So, it’s amazing.”
Basilashvili, despite playing in the final of an ATP tennis competition for the first time, is one of the most destructive shotmakers on the tour.
As he won a series of games against seeded players, including No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in this year’s Indian Well Masters; he has been one of the few big-hitters able to consistently hit despite the slow court.
Meanwhile, in a tense but enjoyable women’s final, Spanish tennis player, Paula Badosa recovered from losing the second set to defeat Victoria Azarenka 7-6(5), 2-6, 7-6(2) on her way to her first-ever WTA 1000 title.
