Cameron Norrie’s campaign at the prestigious Indian Wells tournament came to an abrupt end as he faced a 6-3, 7-5 defeat against American 10th seed Tommy Paul in the third round. Norrie, who previously triumphed at Indian Wells in 2021 and reached the quarter-finals in the subsequent two years, now finds himself matching last year’s exit in the round of 32 after losing in straight sets.
The British No. 2’s defeat was marked by a costly double fault—his third of the game—as Paul secured his place in the last 16, where he will face fifth seed Daniil Medvedev. Medvedev advanced after his opponent, Alex Michelsen, retired shortly after the match began due to food poisoning.
### Draper Soars as Sole British Contender in Men’s Singles
Norrie, who had earlier secured victories against Luca Nardi and 23rd seed Jiri Lehecka to reach this stage, struggled against Paul, suffering three breaks in the opening set. Despite fighting back to equalize at 4-4 in the second set, a series of serving errors paved the way for Paul’s win.
With Norrie’s exit, Jack Draper emerges as the only remaining British player in the men’s singles draw. Draper’s path to the next round was made possible after he eliminated Jacob Fearnley in round one, who, coincidentally, was defeated by Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca.
### Medvedev Advances Alongside Griekspoor and Tsitsipas
Daniil Medvedev reflected on his unusual win over Michelsen, expressing his disappointment for the opponent’s early withdrawal, stating, “I hope he feels better soon.”
In other developments, Tallon Griekspoor continued his impressive form, following up his victory over top seed Alexander Zverev with a straight-sets win against 29th seed Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. He will now meet either 16th seed Frances Tiafoe or Japanese qualifier Yosuke Watanuki.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, fresh off winning the Dubai Tennis Championships, breezed past Matteo Berrettini with a 6-3, 6-3 victory to progress to the fourth round. He is set to face either Holger Rune or Ugo Humbert next.
As the tournament unfolds, all eyes will be on the remaining contenders as they vie for glory at Indian Wells.
