- Briton beats Bulgarian in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 in last four
- Norrie will contest first Masters 1000 final on Sunday
For the first time in the history of the ATP, all semi-finalists in a Masters 1000 tournament were ranked outside of the top 25 as the final four men’s players took to Stadium Court at the BNP Paribas Open on Saturday. Of the four players, Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie was the highest ranked, an outcome that nobody could have possibly predicted at the beginning of the year.
Such a rare opportunity can often lead to crippling nerves, but Norrie once again embraced the scale of the moment and continued to play with the freedom and conviction that has underlined his performances at Indian Wells and for much of this year. In doing so, Norrie thoroughly outplayed Grigor Dimitrov, the 23rd seed, 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first career Masters 1000 final.