Preview of 2023 French Open: Cameron Norrie set to take on Lorenzo Musetti with potential clash against Carlos Alcaraz in sight.

Tennis: Cameron Norrie focused on third round match-up against Lorenzo Musetti

British tennis player, Cameron Norrie, is set to face Italian 17th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the third round of the French Open at Roland Garros. As he sets his sights on advancing past this stage for the first time, Norrie acknowledged that it will be a tough match-up as Musetti’s preferred surface is clay.

Musetti has had an impressive run during the European clay-court swing after winning ten out of his fourteen matches and reaching semi-finals in Barcelona. The 21-year-old beat Norrie in a three-set comeback win previously while also defeating Novak Djokovic to reach Monte Carlo quarter-finals.

Norrie has reached the third round at Roland Garros for three successive years now but hasn’t been able to progress beyond this point due to defeats by Rafael Nadal last year and Karen Khachanov in 2021.

“It’s a tough match-up because I’d say his favourite surface is clay,” added Norrie. “He’s a great player, really talented and obviously I lost to him last time.”

The winners of each match between Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz playing Canadian Denis Shapovalov and Briton Cameron Norrie taking on Italian Lorenzo Musetti will meet in the fourth round.

The Rise of Young Guns – Alcaraz vs Shapovalov

In Friday’s night session showdown on Court Philippe Chatrier, Spanish rising star Carlos Alcaraz faces off against Canadian sensation Denis Shapovalov; both players are known for their aggressive baseline playstyles with standout shots.

Alcaraz, who turned 18 years old a few weeks ago, is currently the youngest player ranked in the ATP top-100 rankings. He has been hailed as one of the most promising young talents and has already created quite an impact in his short career. Alcaraz recently won his first ever ATP title at Umag last year and also achieved victories against David Goffin, Feliciano Lopez, and Albert Ramos-Vinolas on clay this season.

On the other hand, Denis Shapovalov is known for his explosive forehand shotmaking ability – which he used to defeat Rafael Nadal during their thrilling match-up at the Italian Open quarter-finals. The Canadian made it to two Grand Slam quarterfinals by reaching US Open (2020) & Wimbledon (2017).

The match between Carlos Alcaraz & Denis Shapovalov will be eagerly watched by tennis fans worldwide as it could potentially signify a changing of guard moment if one of these players goes on to win the tournament.

In Doubles Action

The doubles matches are set to provide more exciting action as well with three British players – Neal Skupski, Joe Salisbury and Lloyd Glasspool – taking part in various games.

Top-seeded Neal Skupski partners with Dutch player Wesley Koolhof while second-seeded Joe Salisbury pairs up with American Rajeev Ram; both teams look forward to progressing further into the tournament.