The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>Getty Images Russell Wilson will have a new backup quarterback, and so will Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have traded quarterback Brett Hundley, who filled in after Rodgers’ injury last season, to the Seahawks, according to ESPN. Seattle is sending an undisclosed 2019 draft pick to Green Bay in the deal. Hundley did not play particularly well last season as the Packers struggled in Rodgers’ absence, and the Packers traded for former Browns quarterback DeShone Kizer this offseason. So it’s not surprising that Hundley was traded. The Packers now have two backup quarterbacks on their roster, Kizer and Tim Boyle. Hundley joins Austin Davis and seventh-round rookie Alex McGough behind Wilson on the Seahawks’ depth chart.<doc-sep>The Grenn Bay Packers traded backup quarterback Brett Hundley to the Seattle Seahawks, the team announced Wednesday. In exchange for Hundley, Green Bay will receive an undisclosed draft choice. Hundley is entering his third season in the NFL after being drafted by the Packers out of UCLA in the fifth round in 2015. In his two years in Green Bay, Hundley appeared in 15 games. He started nine contests last season after Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone in Week 6. In the 11 games he played last season, Hundley completed 60.8% of his passes for 1,836 yards, nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Packers went 3-6 in the nine games he started. After backing up a two-time MVP to start his career, Hundley will now play behind four-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson. In his previous six seasons in the NFL, Wilson started in all 96 regular season games and all 12 playoff games Seattle played. Demovsky reports Green Bay will keep DeShone Kizer and Tim Boyle as backups for Rodgers barring something unforseen in Thursday's preseason finale that would force the teamm to take a different approach to its 53-man roster. The Packers and Seahawks will play each other in Week 11 on Thursday, Nov. 15 in Seattle.<doc-sep>The Seahawks have their new backup to Russell Wilson. The team has acquired fourth-year quarterback Brett Hundley from the Green Bay Packers, according to multiple reports and confirmed later Wednesday. The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said Seattle gave a 2019 sixth-round pick to the Packers in exchange. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll spoke glowingly of Hundley on Wednesday. "We've been able to see him and really see how he's developed, and we liked him coming out of college as well," Carroll said. "He's big, he runs well, he's got a good arm, he's got good vision on the field, he's made a lot of big throws and big plays." RELATED: Patience, football and suicide: Seattle Seahawks' Gerald Holmes pursuit to break into the NFL The move isn't a surprising one for Seahawks, as neither Austin Davis nor rookie Alex McGough have shown enough consistency to be a reliable No. 2 to Russell Wilson during the regular season. McGough, a seventh-round pick out of Florida International University, has shown flashes of potential in the last two preseason games but has been inconsistent. Through three exhibitions, he's completed 18 of 31 passes for 288 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll didn't mince his words of McGough during training camp, saying that he's struggled with "the whole system." RELATED: Seattle Seahawks' Baldwin on knee injury: 'truth of the matter is, it won't be 100 percent' Davis, Seattle's backup last season, hasn't done much of anything in the preseason. He's connected on just seven of 11 throws for 56 yards with an interception. Heading into his seventh NFL season, Davis appeared in three games in 2017. Hundley took over as the Packers starting quarterback in Week 6 last year when Aaron Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone. The 25 year old completed 60.8 percent of his passes last season for 1,836 yards and nine touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Hundley was drafted in the fifth round, No. 147 overall, in the 2015 NFL draft by Green Bay. "He really gives you the thought that he could come in the game and keep it moving," Carroll said. "It was just to good of an opportunity to pass up." Ben Arthur is a Seahawks reporter for the SeattlePI. He can be reached by email at benjaminarthur@seattlepi.com. Follow him on twitter at @benyarthur.<doc-sep>
Ben Margot/Associated Press The Green Bay Packers reportedly agreed to trade quarterback Brett Hundley to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2019 draft pick Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Rob Demovsky. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the pick involved in the trade is a sixth-rounder. In the wake of the deal, former Cleveland Browns signal-caller DeShone Kizer will serve as Aaron Rodgers' backup in Green Bay. Since Rodgers missed significant time with a broken collarbone last season, Hundley started nine games for the Packers in 2017. Hundley went 3-6 and completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,836 yards, nine touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 270 yards and two scores. Green Bay originally selected the 25-year-old in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft out of UCLA. Hundley will join a quarterback room in Seattle that already includes starter Russell Wilson, veteran backup Austin Davis and rookie seventh-round pick Alex McGough. In three preseason appearances, Hundley has thrown for 263 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He's also rushed for 17 yards and one touchdown. Video Play Button Videos you might like Since Davis has struggled in limited playing time (56 yards, no touchdowns and one interception) and McGough has impressed (285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception), Hundley's acquisition could spell the end of Davis' tenure in Seattle. While Kizer has struggled with his accuracy during the preseason (50.9 percent), his numbers have been solid overall with 403 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. As a rookie second-round pick last season, Kizer started 15 games for the Browns, going 0-15. He completed 53.6 percent of his passes for 2,894 yards, 11 touchdowns and a league-worst 22 interceptions. The Notre Dame product did rush for 419 yards and five scores, however. Trading Hundley likely means the Packers will keep only one quarterback behind Rodgers, which will give them more roster flexibility elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Seahawks now have a backup with extensive, recent starting experience who can step in should an injury befall Wilson.