Britain’s Cameron Norrie claimed the biggest win of his career on Tuesday when he defeated world number one Carlos Alcaraz to reach the last 16 of the Paris Masters.
Norrie, ranked 31st in the world, produced a gritty comeback to beat the Spaniard 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the second round of the ATP Masters 1,000 event in the French capital. The victory marked his first ever win over a world number one and avenged his straight-sets loss to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon quarter-finals earlier this year.
“This win is so big for me,” said Norrie, who missed last year’s Olympic Games in Paris and the US Open because of a forearm injury. “I had lost in the first round of the qualifiers here last year. Coming back from my injury, I’ve been trying to enjoy my tennis in the second half of the year and I was able to do that. To get the biggest win of my career, my first win over a world number one, and probably the most confident player in the world right now, I am pleased with the way I did it.”
After Alcaraz took the opening set, Norrie responded with an early break in the second to level the match. In the decider, the Briton produced a superb backhand pass to break the top seed, then saved two break points before serving out the match.
“I actually went for a walk this morning with my coach and we talked through serving for the match and what I needed to tell myself,” Norrie said. “I was so, so tight serving for the match yesterday against Baez. I told myself I deserved to be in this moment, I want to be here, and I felt quite relaxed. It was a nice walk, a very important walk.”
Norrie, who beat Sebastian Baez in straight sets in Monday’s first round, will next face the winner of the second-round match between French wildcards and cousins Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech.
Alcaraz, who committed 54 unforced errors, was returning from an ankle injury and playing his first match since winning the Japan Open final against Taylor Fritz at the end of September. His defeat leaves him at risk of losing his number one ranking if Jannik Sinner, who faces Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the second round, goes on to win the tournament.
“I’m really disappointed about my level,” Alcaraz said. “I had all the ideas clear, all the goals clear but even in the first set which I won, I felt I could do a lot more than I actually did. I have to give credit to Cam. He played really well, a solid match, and I think that was the key.”
