🔗 Share this article

Cameron Norrie secured the biggest success of his career by rebounding from a lost first set to defeat top-ranked player Carlos Alcaraz with a stunning comeback in the early stage of the Paris Masters.

Even though he had before defeated Alcaraz on two occasions, this victory signifies Norrie's first ever success over a reigning world No 1.

"Huge. Extremely important for me," said Norrie, who becomes the latest British man in the record books to overcome a top-ranked player. "Coming back from a physical setback last year, I fell in the first round of qualies here. I just sought to embrace my tennis in the second half of the year. To secure a victory like this, it's the biggest success of my tennis journey, my first win over the global number one and likely the most in-form athlete in the world right now."

The British player, ranked 31st globally, also halted Alcaraz's impressive streak of nine consecutive finals and 17 successive premier event victories, which was the top run of outcomes in the young champion's early professional path.

Game Overview

The top seed appeared to be progressing easily to success in the beginning as he cruised past the opening set. However, the British contender gradually battled back into the match by delivering with improved accuracy and engaging the Spaniard into lengthy, demanding exchanges. His unceasing consistency and reliability slowly left its mark.

During large parts of the battle, Alcaraz served well but he had difficulty to find his timing off his groundstrokes. The rising talent looked notably uncomfortable executing his primary weapon, which has been the most effective stroke in the game for much of this season, committing 29 forehand miscues and a total of 54 errors. Across the net, Norrie offered Alcaraz minimal unforced errors, sustaining his reliability, fitness and power the entire contest while delivering effective serves and choosing his moments to move inside the baseline and attack well.

Final Moments

In the tense last moments, Norrie superbly maintained his nerve to overcome the top competitor in the game.

Career Journey

After struggling for an extended period due to a major left forearm injury and struggles with his form, the tennis professional slipped as far down as 91st in the rankings this season. After making the last eight at the grass-court major and the Roland Garros round of 16 since then, this triumph further underlines the veteran's development as he seeks to make his way to the top 20 and further. Alcaraz, despite his incredible achievements, is still hasn't master how to display his best tennis indoors.