United Cup: Britain take lead against Australia

SYDNEY: Cameron Norrie and Katie Swan notched straight-set wins on Day 1 at the United Cup to give Britain a 2-0 lead over Australia in Group D, here on Thursday.

No.14 Norrie opened the tie with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Alex de Minaur and No.145 Swan extended Team GB's lead with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Zoe Hives.

In front of a lively night-session crowd, Norrie did his best to quieten the Australian supporters, hitting his flat backhand with consistent depth to keep De Minaur pinned behind the baseline for large periods of their 90-minute encounter.

The 27-year-old, who won 87 per cent (26/30) of his first-serve points, crucially rallied from 1-1, 0-40 on serve in the first set, gaining momentum from that moment to take control of the match. Norrie then earned a break in the second set and won the majority of the lung-busting exchanges to triumph.

With the win, Norrie leveled his ATP Head to Head series against De Minaur at 1-1, having lost their first encounter last season in Barcelona. IANS

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