This match marked Norrie's return to the ATP Tour since his second-round exit at Wimbledon against Christopher Eubanks. Despite a strong start and breaking Kovacevic in the 11th game, Norrie faced an impressive comeback from the big-serving American, eventually losing with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-7[7], 4-6.
Historically, Mexican soil has been favorable to Norrie, where he won his first tour-level title at the 2021 Los Cabos Open and reached the final last year, losing to Daniil Medvedev. While he seemed to be continuing his love affair with Los Cabos after securing the first set with a love hold, Kovacevic fought back valiantly, clinching a nail-biting tie-breaker to level the match.
As the third set progressed, the momentum shifted in Kovacevic's favor, with his powerful serve making an impact (he fired a total of 15 aces throughout the match). He deservedly broke Norrie in the ninth game, taking a 5-4 lead.
Norrie did have a chance to break Kovacevic while the American was serving for the match, but unfortunately, he couldn't capitalize on that crucial opportunity. As a result, Kovacevic secured the victory and advanced to the third round, where he will face German seventh seed Dominik Koepfer.
Meanwhile, Norrie's compatriots Andy Murray and Dan Evans experienced better fortunes in Washington, as both players advanced to the third round of the Citi Open with wins over Brandon Nakashima and Gregoire Barrere, respectively.