Italian Open 2025: Cameron Norrie vs Christopher O'Connell preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds, and pick

Match Details

Fixture: (LL) Cameron Norrie vs Christopher O'Connell

Date: May 7, 2025

Tournament: Italian Open

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Venue: Foro Italico, Rome, Italy

Surface: Clay

Category: ATP Masters 1000

Prize Money: €8,055,385

Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN

Cameron Norrie vs Christopher O'Connell preview

Cameron Norrie at the Madrid Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Former top 10 player Cameron Norrie will take on Christopher O'Connell in the first round of the Italian Open 2025.

Norrie started his clay swing by failing to advance out of the qualifying rounds of the Monte-Carlo Masters. While he managed to qualify for the Barcelona Open, he lost to Karen Khachanov in the first round after blowing a one-set lead.

The Brit tasted his first win on the red dirt at the Madrid Open. He rallied from a set down to beat Martin Landaluce in the first round. He staged another comeback to beat 26th seed Jiri Lehecka in the second round. He was the favorite to win against Gabriel Diallo in the third round, but lost to him in three sets.

Norrie commenced his journey at the Italian Open in the qualifying rounds. While he beat Jacopo Vasami in straight sets, he couldn't get the better of Dusan Lajovic. However, he secured a place for himself in the main draw as a lucky loser.

O'Connell reached the quarterfinals in Bucharest to begin his clay swing on a promising note. He hasn't won back-to-back matches since then, losing in the first round of the BMW Open and the second round of the Madrid Open.

Cameron Norrie vs Christopher O'Connell head-to-head

This will be the first career meeting between them, so the head-to-head stands at 0-0 for now.

Cameron Norrie vs Christopher O'Connell odds

Player	Moneyline	Handicap Bets	Total Games
Cameron Norrie	-190	+1.5 (-500)	Over 22.5 (-110)
Christopher O'Connell	+145	-1.5 (+290)	Under 22.5 (-130)

(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)

Cameron Norrie vs Christopher O'Connell prediction

Christopher O'Connell at the Tiriac Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Both have an almost similar win-loss record this year. Each player has lost 10 matches, but Norrie has nine wins to his name compared to O'Connell's seven. The Brit's recent showing in Madrid should have instilled some confidence in him. However, failing to directly qualify for the Italian Open must have been a reality check for him.

Norrie will be keen to make the most of his second chance in Rome. After a solid start to his time on clay, O'Connell has suffered an early exit in his previous couple of tournaments. Given his record in Rome, a deep run seems unlikely here as well.

O'Connell is yet to win a match at the Italian Open. He faltered at the very first hurdle in his previous couple of appearances in Rome. Norrie, meanwhile, holds a fourth-round finish as his best result here and has a 6-5 record overall. The Brit will be favored to make it through this clash based on their prior results here.

Pick: Cameron Norrie to win in straight sets.

About the author

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master's degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it's due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it's this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his "wildest dreams." Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in "tiers," where they're all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters' journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn't busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he's also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don't be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.

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Edited by Rohit