CAMERON NORRIE shrugged off an ill-timed rain delay to keep British singles hopes alive at the Australian Open yesterday.

The 26th seed was already the last British player standing before he went on court to face American Emilio Nava in the second round at Melbourne Park.

It is the third consecutive grand slam where the 30-year-old has out-lasted his compatriots, and he was made to wait for his moment after play was suspended with Norrie three points away from victory in the fourth-set tie-break.

After a delay of just less than an hour, Norrie held his nerve, winning three of the next five points to clinch a 6-1 7-6 (3) 4-6 7-6 (5) victory.

Like in his first-round match against Benjamin Bonzi, where he won the first set to love before eventually prevailing in five, things became complicated after Norrie got off to a flying start.

The British number two, who received vociferous support, dug himself out of a hole to take the second set but was unable to repeat that in the third against 89th-ranked Nava and a tense fourth could have gone either way.

Norrie had just claimed a mini-break to lead 4-3 in the tie-break when the rain came, and he held on to his service points on the resumption, yelling in delight when a final shot from his opponent landed wide.

Earlier, qualifier Arthur Fery admitted his breakthrough run in Melbourne caught up with him as he was bounced out in the second round by Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

The 23-year-old Londoner has enjoyed the best fortnight of his career, coming through three matches in qualifying and defeating 20th seed Flavio Cobolli in the opening round.

But Etcheverry proved too big an obstacle, with the relentless Argentinian prevailing in a mammoth first set and then pulling away to win 7-6 (4) 6-1 6-3.

The opening set alone lasted 79 minutes, with Fery more than holding his own, but he could not force a decisive advantage and his energy waned thereafter.

“I don’t know if I would have been able to get through the match if I had won that one but it definitely felt like a turning point,” said Fery. “Credit to him after, he played well.

“I’d already played four matches beforehand and I definitely felt that accumulation of matches today. When you lose that first set 7-6, it doesn’t help mentally or physically.”

While Fery was disappointed not to be able to go further, he was able to reflect with pride on a series of career firsts.

After getting into qualifying on ranking for the first time, he won three matches, all in straight sets, to reach a maiden main draw at a foreign grand slam before claiming the joint-best victory of his career.

Fery’s ranking, which a year ago stood outside the top 500, will be around 150 at the end of the tournament, putting him on the cusp of playing regularly on the ATP Tour.

Asked what he could take from the experience, he said: “A lot. Obviously tough to see it right now, but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished in the past two weeks. It’s probably my best result in my career so far and a stepping stone for 2026 and the future.

“When I’m fresh and playing the way I want to, I’m definitely at that level and able to compete with guys who are top 100, top 50.”