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Cameron Norrie was booed by the South American crowd for an underarm serve during his Rio Open semifinal loss against Mariano Navone.
Norrie came into this year's Rio Open as the defending champion and the second seed. Last year, the Brit defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win the ATP 500 event. This time around, he reached the semifinals after defeating Hugo Dellien, Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera, and Thiago Seyboth Wild.
Navone, Norrie's semifinal opponent, made his way into the tournament's main draw following wins over Mateus Alves and Genaro Alberto Olivieri in the qualifiers. In the main draw, the 22-year-old dispatched Federico Coria, Yannick Hanfmann, and Joao Fonseca to set up a semifinal clash against Norrie.
The Argentine won quite comfortably against Norrie as he outclassed the Brit 6-4, 6-2. Throughout the match, Norrie appeared to be struggling with the hot and humid conditions. The second seed also had to face the wrath of the Rio Open crowd in the first set after he hit an underarm serve. It came as Navone was leading 5-3 in the first set with the game at deuce.
However, the Brit's underarm serve backfired as Navone hit a forehand return to win the point. While the crowd briefly cheered the Argentine for winning the point, they turned on Norrie soon with persistent booing. While being within the laws of the game, an underarm serve seemingly carries a negative connotation as some fans consider it disrespectful and cheeky.
Mariano Navone's win over Cameron Norrie sees him enter maiden ATP Tour final
Mariano Navone enjoyed a fantastic year in 2023 as he clinched five titles in the ATP Challenger circuit. His successes saw him break into the top 125 of the ATP Tour rankings.
2024 marked his ATP Tour debut at the Cordoba Open. However, he was eliminated in the Round of 32 by Roberto Carballes Baena. His next outing was on home soil at the Argentina Open, where he came through the qualifiers to secure a main draw spot. Yet again, though, he exited the tournament in the Round of 32 as Luciano Darderi got the better of him.
The Argentine's impressive displays at the Rio Open have culminated in a maiden ATP Tour final, where he will face compatriot and fifth seed Sebastian Baez. World No. 30 Baez reached the final after downing Corentin Moutet, Facundo Diaz Acosta, Thiago Monteiro, and Francisco Cerundolo.
After winning the semifinal against Norrie, Navone expressed his delight at ousting the defending champion in difficult conditions.
"It's incredible, my first final. I played so good all week. Today was very hot and humid, it's tough to play in these conditions." Navone said (via France24).
