Cameron Norrie’s run in Indian Wells ended at the quarterfinal stage when American Frances Tiafoe defeated the British in straight sets.
The 6-4, 6-4 loss ended Norrie’s eight-match winning streak. The 2021 Indian Wells champion won the title in Rio de Janeiro last month and has a 21-4 win-loss record on the year.
After a rare rain delay halted play in the early stages of the match, Tiafoe fired a forehand cross to break Norrie and take a 4-3 opening set lead.
Feeding off the energy of the supporting crowd, the dynamic Tiafoe then pressured Norrie into a set point error going into the net.
Tiafoe saw his double break lead in the second set shrink to one when he double-faulted at 5-3.
But he managed to serve out the match at his next opportunity, unleashing a 139mph ace to set up match point before calling it quits when Norrie’s forehand went long.
“I really feel that when I’m there mentally, I’m one of the best players in the world,” Tiafoe said.
“Today it’s not just about reaching the semis, I’m happy to beat a guy like that, who has been playing so well.
“To be able to come out here and beat him in straight sets, relatively comfortable. It got a bit tricky at the end, but it was more or less one-way traffic and I’m very happy with my game.”
Tiafoe, who has yet to drop a set at the tournament in the Southern California desert, reached the semifinals of last year’s US Open, where he lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The next step for the 14th-seeded Tiafoe is a meeting with fifth-seeded Russia, Daniil Medvedev.
