Cameron Norrie French Open match interrupted by loud explosions
Cameron Norrie French Open match interrupted by loud explosions
Cameron Norrie will face Novak Djokovic in the French Open fourth round after beating British compatriot Jacob Fearnley in a match overshadowed by fireworks
Cameron Norrie of Great Britain celebrates a point against Jacob Fearnley
(Image: 2025 Getty Images )
Cameron Norrie made a spectacular entrance into the French Open fourth round, defeating fellow Brit Jacob Fearnley despite the sound of fireworks disrupting the encounter.
Norrie's straight-sets victory set up a clash with Novak Djokovic in a match that was played against a backdrop of explosive sounds and pyrotechnics.
The noise was due to thousands of Paris St Germain supporters gathering for the Champions League final inside and outside the nearby Parc des Princes, located just a stone's throw from Court Simonne-Mathieu, where the match was being broadcast on a large screen.
However, Fearnley failed to ignite any sparks as the more seasoned Norrie extended his stay in the French capital into the second week.
This will be Norrie's debut at this stage and, with Jack Draper also advancing, it marks the first time in French Open history that Britain has two men in the fourth round.
Tennis players typically prefer silence during play, but this part of Paris was, at times, deafeningly loud.
Serving proved challenging for both players, with explosions occurring almost every time one of them tossed the ball.
During a crucial second-set tie-break, Norrie had to completely abandon his service motion due to a series of loud bangs.
"As I was putting my bag down the umpire said 'there's just a couple of fireworks. We'll just play on. No worries'," Norrie recalled.
"I was thinking it was just going to be, like, a few of them in the warm-up, but yeah, it was at the most random times. It would go away for kind of 15, 20 minutes and then come back.
"I was serving and about to hit a second serve, and then suddenly one literally felt like it was right next to me went off. I had to stop.
"It was pretty difficult for both of us to be playing with that going on. It felt like it was happening within the stadium. It was a different factor, but no, I've not had that one before."
Despite being recently outstripped in the world rankings by Fearnley, Norrie appeared unfazed initially amidst the clamour.
Advancing to a set and double break lead, Norrie looked comfortable until Fearnley, fresh from his inaugural year on the Tour, steadied himself to even the second set.
Nonetheless, amidst the disturbance, the composed 29 year old Norrie clinched the tie-break, securing a two-set advantage.
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The hubbub gradually died down, the stands emptied as kick-off neared, paving the way for Norrie to wrap up a straight-sets win: 6-3, 7-6 (1), 6-2 after nearly three hours of play.
Calling the situation "brutal", Fearnley accepted the circumstances, stating, "It's far from ideal, but that's life, isn't it?".
Deploying a sportsmanlike perspective, he conceded: "I understand PSG playing is probably a bit more important than this match, so it is what it is. But, yeah, it's tough. But it's not the reason I lost the match."
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