Britain’s Cameron Norrie produced one of the biggest shocks of the tennis season on Tuesday night, defeating world number one Carlos Alcaraz 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 to reach the third round of the Paris Masters and end the Spaniard’s remarkable 17-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 level.
Alcaraz, fresh from capturing his eighth title of the year in Tokyo, was expected to continue his dominant form in Paris, but instead endured one of his most erratic performances of the season. The 22-year-old Spaniard, a six-time Grand Slam champion, committed 54 unforced errors and frequently vented frustration towards his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, as his timing and confidence deserted him.
Despite taking the opening set, Alcaraz never looked comfortable. Norrie, ranked No. 31 in the world, began to find his rhythm midway through the second, breaking early and holding firm to level the match. The Briton then held his nerve in a tense final set, saving two crucial break points in the seventh game before sealing victory after two hours and 22 minutes of high-intensity tennis.
“Massive – so big for me,” Norrie said afterwards. “I’ve been coming back from injury and just trying to enjoy my tennis again. To get a win like this, my first over a world number one and probably the most confident player in the world right now, it’s the biggest win of my career.”
What the defeat means for Carlos Alcaraz?
For Alcaraz, the defeat was a rare setback in a stellar season that has seen him lift titles in Monte Carlo, Rome, Cincinnati, and Tokyo. It also marks his earliest exit from a Masters event since March, when he fell in Miami.
“I didn’t feel well today,” Carlos Alcaraz admitted in his post-match press conference. “A lot of mistakes… I had no feeling at all for the ball. Even in the first set, which I won, I knew I could play much better. I tried to improve in the second, but it was the opposite. I have to give credit to Cam- he played really great tennis.”
The result could have major implications for the year-end rankings. With 11,240 live points, Alcaraz’s grip on the No. 1 spot is under threat from Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who will reclaim top billing if he wins the Paris title this week.
Also Read: How Jannik Sinner Can Reclaim World No. 1 Spot From Carlos Alcaraz
Norrie, meanwhile, advances to the round of 16 at a Masters event for the first time since Rome 2023, matching his best Paris showing from 2021. He will next face either Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech or Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot- cousins who famously met in the Shanghai Masters final earlier this month.
Reflecting on how he handled the biggest win of his career, Norrie revealed that a quiet morning walk with his coach proved decisive.
“I told myself I deserved to be in this moment and wanted to be here,” he said. “That helped me stay calm when serving for the match. It was a nice walk- a very important one.”
With his composure restored and confidence surging, Norrie’s Paris campaign suddenly looks alive- and so, perhaps, does his career resurgence.
