🔗 Share this article

Cameron Norrie secured the most important win of his career by rebounding from a set down to beat top-ranked player Carlos Alcaraz in three hard-fought sets in the second round of the Paris Masters.

Although he had earlier overcome Alcaraz on two prior meetings, this win marks Norrie's first ever win over a sitting world No 1.

"Huge. Extremely important for me," stated Norrie, who becomes the newest British man in the record books to beat a world No 1. "Bouncing back from injury last year, I lost in the first round of qualifying rounds here. I just aimed to enjoy my performance in the second half of the year. To secure a win like this, it's the most significant victory of my career, my initial victory over the top player and likely the most in-form player in the sport right now."

Norrie, seeded 31st globally, also ended Alcaraz's impressive run of nine straight final appearances and 17 straight premier event successes, which represented the top run of results in the Spanish star's young career.

Match Breakdown

Alcaraz seemed to be progressing easily to a win at the start as he eased through the opening set. Nevertheless, the British contender steadily battled back back into the game by executing with greater precision and pulling the Spanish opponent into extended, demanding exchanges. His persistent consistency and dependability steadily left its mark.

During large parts of the contest, the world number one delivered strong serves but he had difficulty to locate his rhythm on his baseline shots. The young star looked notably struggling executing his signature shot, which has been the best shot in the world for much of this season, producing 29 forehand unforced errors and a combined of 54 errors. Opposing him, Norrie gave his opponent minimal unforced errors, keeping up his reliability, fitness and power the entire contest while delivering effective serves and selecting opportunities to force himself inside the baseline and attack well.

Closing Phase

In the tight final games, the British competitor brilliantly maintained his nerve to defeat the best player in the sport.

Personal Context

Following struggling for an extended period due to a major arm issue and challenges with his game, the tennis professional dropped as far down as 91st in the rankings this year. Following appearances in the advanced stages at the grass-court major and the Roland Garros round of 16 after that, this victory further underlines the veteran's development as he seeks to come back to the world's top twenty and even higher. The Spanish sensation, in spite of his extraordinary accomplishments, is has not yet figure out how to produce his best tennis indoors.