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Cameron Norrie achieved the most important success of his professional journey by rebounding from a early deficit to beat world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the Paris Masters.

Although he had earlier overcome Alcaraz on two prior meetings, this win represents Norrie's maiden success over a sitting world number one.

"Massive. Extremely important for me," said Norrie, who joins as the newest English competitor in the record books to defeat a world No 1. "Bouncing back from a physical setback last year, I was defeated in the first round of qualifying rounds here. I just aimed to appreciate my game in the second half of the year. To achieve a victory like this, it's the most significant victory of my tennis journey, my first win over the global number one and arguably the most confident player in the tennis scene right now."

Norrie, positioned 31st globally, also halted Alcaraz's supreme sequence of nine straight final appearances and 17 straight elite tournament victories, which represented the finest stretch of performances in the Spaniard's young career.

Match Analysis

Alcaraz looked to be moving confidently to a win at the start as he sailed through the opening set. Nevertheless, Norrie slowly worked himself back into the game by delivering with greater precision and engaging the Spanish opponent into extended, demanding points. His relentless consistency and consistency slowly made an impact.

Through most of the match, the world number one served well but he had difficulty to find his timing with his rally strokes. The 22-year-old looked particularly struggling striking his signature shot, which has been the top weapon in the game for most of this year, producing 29 mistakes off the forehand side and a total of 54 mistakes. Opposing him, Norrie gave Alcaraz very few errors, keeping up his reliability, athleticism and depth the entire contest while performing well on serve and choosing his moments to advance forward and strike effectively.

Final Phase

In the tight last moments, the British competitor brilliantly held his calm to close out the world's finest in the game.

Professional Journey

After dealing for an extended period due to a major arm issue and difficulties with his performance, the tennis professional fell as far down as 91st in the rankings this season. Having reached the last eight at Wimbledon and the French Open round of 16 subsequently, this triumph reinforces the veteran's progress as he aims to make his way to the elite rankings and beyond. Alcaraz, despite his extraordinary success, is has not yet solve how to deliver his best tennis indoors.