British number two Cameron Norrie secured his first victory since April by defeating Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-4, 6-1 in the opening round of the Mifel Open in Mexico.
The win ended a frustrating six-match losing streak for Norrie, whose last victory came at the Madrid Open. During that difficult spell, the former British number one suffered a shock first-round defeat to qualifier Michael Zheng at Wimbledon.
Returning to the tournament in Los Cabos, where he captured his maiden ATP Tour title in 2021, Norrie showed signs of rediscovering his best form.
The fifth seed overcame a shaky start after being broken twice in the opening set, including in the very first game. He responded impressively to regain control before dominating the second set, conceding just five points on serve while breaking American Kovacevic twice to seal a comfortable straight-sets victory.
Norrie will now face either Australia's James Duckworth or American Aidan Mayo in the last 16.
Elsewhere, British number two Katie Boulter suffered another early exit after losing 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to American Ashlyn Krueger in the opening round of the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.
Boulter made the brighter start by taking the opening set but was unable to maintain her momentum. After moving 2-0 ahead in the deciding set, she won just four more points for the remainder of the match as Krueger completed the comeback.
The defeat extends Boulter's losing streak to four matches, adding to a difficult run of form heading into the latter stages of the hard-court season.
