ATP Tour

Pin-point Norrie races into Rio QFs

Defending champion Cameron Norrie continues to shape as the player to beat at the Rio Open presented by Claro, charging into the quarter-finals Thursday with a commanding 6-1, 6-1 win over Tomas Barrios Vera.

Second-seeded Norrie, who is one of just three seeds remaining in the tournament, hit 21 winners to just eight unforced errors according to Infosys ATP Stats as he pushed the Chilean deep behind the baseline to open up the court.

"I was really accurate with my ball," said Norrie, who has dropped just seven games in two wins en route to the quarter-finals. "I hit very close to the line today and I was able to spread the court and made it difficult for him because I was able to push him back and use the angles. And I was very disciplined on the return.

"Last night with the rain there was a lot of waiting around but I managed to come out here and reset and played really, really well, so I'm pleased.

"It's a good sign for me when I'm hitting the forehand up the line well. Maybe sometimes I go for it a little too much and get a little overconfident, but especially on clay it's a good one to use to surprise them. But you don’t want to abuse it."

Start the clock, I’ll get it done ⏰@cam_norrie secures a win against Barrios Vera in just an hour, taking the win 6-1 6-1 🔥@rioopenoficial | #RioOpen10Anos pic.twitter.com/LT0R5vPDFt

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 22, 2024

Norrie, who is No. 30 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week after seeing last year's 500 champion's points drop from his breakdown, will next face Thiago Seyboth Wild in a first-time Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting. The Brazilian completed a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win over Jaume Munar in a match carried over from Wednesday due to rain.

In an all-Argentine battle, fifth seed Sebastian Baez snapped the six-match winning streak of Buenos Aires champion Facundo Diaz Acosta 7-6(1), 6-3.

Baez, who has now reached the quarter-finals or better at his three appearances during the South American swing, improved to 9-5 on the season and will next play the winner of Brazilians Thiago Monteiro and Filipe Meligeni Alves.