Tennis star and defending champion Cameron Norrie will clash with Argentina's Mariano Navone on Saturday at the Rio Open as he bids to become the first player to win the Rio Open on more than one occasion.
Cameron defeated Brazil's Thiago Seyboth Wild 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 on Friday to make it to the last four.
Navone, for his part, overcame Brazil's 17-year-old sensation João Fonseca on Friday 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to make the cut.
The British player said he was excited to play against the crowd that saw him win the tournament last year in a hard-fought final against Alcaraz.
“This was a very fun match, and the public certainly had a great part in that,” Norrie said. “These are the matches you want to play. At night, with the public cheering for you or against you.”
Other contenders
Fourth-seeded Francisco Cerúndolo beat Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. His semifinal rival will be Sebastián Báez, who beat Brazil's Thiago Monteiro 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. Both players will play on Saturday as well.
Since it became part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour in 2014, the tournament has attracted a number of the top clay-court players, with Rafael Nadal winning the inaugural event in 2014.
As well as the carnival atmosphere, one other lure for the players is the prize money on offer, and for 2024, the total prize money at the Rio Open is $2,100,230. This represents an increase of 4.3% compared to 2023.
Along with 500 ranking points, the champion in Rio will receive $392,775, 4.3% more than Cameron Norrie picked up last year when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
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