Defending champion Norrie suffers shock defeat by Navone in Rio de Janeiro

Cameron Norrie suffered a shock defeat in the semi-finals of the Rio Open, falling 6-4 6-2 to Mariano Navone, the Argentine qualifier.

Norrie, the defending champion in Brazil, struggled in the sweltering South American heat as Navone, the world No. 113, took full advantage.

, the current world No. 2, in the final of the clay-court event last year, and was contesting his second tournament since being knocked out in the last 16 of the Australian Open by Alexander Zverev.

The Briton, now world No. 20, served poorly, and was broken decisively in the seventh game of the first set, after the pair had traded service breaks in the opening two games.

Both players broke once more at the start of the second, but it was Navone who would find the crucial follow-ups, in the third and fifth games of the second, to assert his authority on the match and see out the victory that sent him into a maiden ATP final.

“It’s incredible,” Navone said. “I played so [well] all week. Today was very hot and humid. It’s tough to play in these conditions, but I’ve played six matches in a row so I feel pretty good.”

Norrie, the second seed, was the only non-Argentine in the last four of the tournament, with Sebastian Baez and Francisco Cerundolo completing the semi-finalists, and Navone will face Baez in the final after the world No. 30 beat his compatriot Cerundolo, the world No. 22, 7-5 6-0.

“All matches are different,” Baez said. “Today it’s going to my side. In the first set, I gave many break points to him. I had to take it because it’s so hard for both.”