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Cameron Norrie stunned Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of the Paris Masters to claim the “biggest victory” of his career.
Norrie became the first British man to beat the current World No 1 since Dan Evans defeated Novak Djokovic at the Monte Carlo Masters in 2021, coming from a set down to win 4-6 6-3 6-4 in two hours and 22 minutes.
The 30-year-old, who fought off two break points from Alcaraz late in the final set, handed the Spaniard his earliest defeat at a tournament since the Miami Open in March – with the six-time grand slam champion on a 17-match winning run at the Masters level since then.
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Norrie had lost his previous four matches at the No 1 ranked player in the world (AFP via Getty Images)
Alcaraz made 54 errors across the match and appeared to argue with his team as he lost control of the second set.
The 22-year-old had reached the final of every tournament he had played since his defeat to David Goffin in Miami and looked to be on his way to another victory when he converted the only break midway through the first set to take the lead.
But Norrie raced into a 4-1 lead at the start of the second, serving out the final game to love to level the match. In the decider, Norrie again secured the only break in the seventh game to lead 4-3. The Briton faced two break points in the next game but a visibly frustrated Alcaraz could not take them and he served out victory at the first attempt.
Norrie had lost in straight-sets to Alcaraz in their last meeting in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, but had beaten the Spaniard on two previous occasions, and called the result “massive” after struggling for form and battling injuries earlier this season.
“It’s so big for me,” said Norrie, a former top-10 player who had dropped to as low as 91 in the rankings in May this year. “I’ve been coming back from my injury. Last year I lost first round of qualifiers here.
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Norrie hailed his victory over Alcaraz as the best of his career (AFP via Getty Images)
“I’m just trying to enjoy my tennis the second half of the year. I was able to do that. To get a win like this….this is the biggest win of my career, my first over a world No 1, probably the most confident player in the world right now, him and [Jannik] Sinner combined.
“So pleased with the way I did it. Having a lot of chances and having to keep pushing and keep going for more. I was able to stay tough and get the win. I’m really pleased.”
Norrie will play either Valentin Vacherot or Arthur Rinderknech in the third round, with the Shanghai finalists meeting in another all-cousin clash on Wednesday.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, lost for just the eighth time this season. His defeat means Sinner can reclaim the No 1 ranking for the first time since the US Open final if he goes all the way and wins the title in Paris this week.