Cameron Norrie was left with some regrets after losing to Jack Pinnington Jones, the man he recruited to play college tennis, at the LTA’s Rothesay Open in Nottingham.

The former Wimbledon semi-finalist took the opening set before losing 1-6 6-4 6-4 to fellow Brit Pinnington Jones.

And while there was inevitably frustration at seeing his run in Nottingham ended, particularly after starting so strongly, Norrie was quick to pay tribute to the 21-year-old’s performance.

Pinnington Jones has followed the same path as Norrie, playing collegiate tennis in the United States for Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, and explained before the match that it was Norrie who had recruited him to the programme.

They have remained close, and Norrie was impressed by Pinnington Jones’s display.

He said: “It was a tough match, I had a lot of opportunities… there were a lot of break points in the third and he came out with some good stuff there and managed to hold onto his serve and play a couple of break points.

“But I’m happy for him and he deserved the win and hopefully he can go further. For me it was a good couple of practice matches on the grass and looking forward to getting back to London and preparing for Queens.

“I was very disappointed with the match, but I am happy that Jack (PJ) is through and the TCU boys are doing well.”

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