South Africa’s Kevin Anderson returns to Britain’s Cameron Norrie during their round 32 match at the Fever Tree Championship at Queen’s Club in London, Britain, 17 June 2019. The tournament runs from 17th June till 23 June 2019. EPA-EFE/WILL OLIVER
By Ricky Dimon
Playing for the first time since the Miami Masters due to an elbow injury, Kevin Anderson beat Cameron Norrie 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in round one of the Fever-Tree Championships on Monday afternoon. Anderson advanced after two hours and 21 minutes of play.
“It was really difficult, but at the same time it was decision I knew I had to make,” the second-seeded South African said of skipping the entire clay-court swing. “It was something I needed to do. The good thing about the elbow is it’s just been affecting me on the serve. I’ve been able to train a lot an work on other parts of my game.”
But Anderson’s serve showed no signs of rust during his comeback to tennis. The world No. 8 blasted 19 aces compared to only two double-faults and he held 15 of 16 service games. After getting broken early in the first, he he was flawless on serve the rest of the way.
Anderson is joined in the last 16 by Daniil Medvedev, Diego Schwartzman, Marin Cilic, and Nicolas Mahut.
Medvedev got things started on Centre Court when he ended a five-match losing streak with a 6-2, 6-4 rout of Fernando Verdasco. Cilic, the defending champion, followed with 6-1, 7-6(5) victory over Christian Garin prior to Anderson’s success.
On Court 1, Diego Schwartzman picked up the second grass-court win over his career by beating Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-3. Former Queen’s Club runner-up Nicolas Mahut had to qualified just to get into the main draw and he maintained his fine form with a 6-3, 7-6(5) defeat of Frances Tiafoe.
The doubles draw will also be making plenty of headlines this week, as Andy Murray is back from his post-Australian semi-retirement to team up with Feliciano Lopez. Their first match is on Wednesday. Monday’s opening doubles contest saw Bob and Mike Bryan get the best of Luke Bambridge and Johnny O’Mara 7-6(1), 6-4.
The Bryan brothers won 93 percent of their first-serve points and saved the only beak point they faced.