Upset: Norrie defeats Alcaraz at the Paris Masters, ending his 17-match ATP1000 winning streak

On Tuesday at the Paris Masters, Cameron Norrie overcame top seed Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round, achieving his first-ever win against the world number one in his career.

This is Norrie's first time advancing to the round of 16 in an ATP1000 event since the 2023 Rome Masters.

Alcaraz entered this tournament for the first time since capturing his eighth tour title of the season in Tokyo at the end of September. His form was far from optimal. The top seed committed 54 unforced errors and unusually struggled with timing and footwork adjustments for a prolonged period.

Although Alcaraz took the first set 6-4, he never fully found his best form. After losing the second set, he engaged in a heated discussion with his coach Ferrero at the sidelines. This defeat ended his 17-match winning streak in ATP1000 tournaments that had been intact since his first-round exit at the Miami Masters in March—during which he had won the Monte Carlo, Rome, and Cincinnati Masters titles.

Having lost only eight matches this season, Alcaraz may lose his PIFATP world number one ranking this week. If Sinner wins the Paris title, he will reclaim the top spot in the world rankings.

However, in the race for the ATP year-end number one, Alcaraz still holds an advantage. He currently leads the PIFATP Turin Finals live rankings (a key indicator for the annual ranking) by 2040 points.

With this surprising victory, Norrie succeeded in defeating the world number one on his fifth attempt. The left-handed Briton reached the ATP1000 round of 16 for the first time since the 2023 Rome Masters, matching his best Paris Masters performance (third round in 2021). The 30-year-old Norrie, who won his only ATP1000 title at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters, clenched his fist and celebrated with his team after converting his second match point.

Although Alcaraz is known as a "shot-making master," early in the match the spotlight was on Norrie—on the fourth point, he hit a winning backhand drop shot that caught attention.

Both players tried to take control and dictate the pace. At 2-2 in the first set, a turning point occurred: Norrie double-faulted at deuce, giving Alcaraz an opportunity, who then capitalized with a forehand crosscourt winner to break serve for the first time. After winning the first set, Alcaraz struggled in the second, unable to find rhythm in baseline rallies or handle Norrie's heavy topspin forehand, allowing Norrie to push the match to a deciding set.

Before the final set, Alcaraz consulted with Ferrero, and both seemed to express their views on the current performance. Alcaraz’s timing remained off in the third set; in the seventh game, Norrie, playing strongly, broke with a backhand crosscourt winner. In the following game, Norrie resisted pressure by saving two break points and, after 2 hours and 22 minutes, maintained his composure to secure the victory.

The head-to-head record between Alcaraz and Norrie now stands at 5-3. This win marks Norrie's third victory over Alcaraz, with previous wins at the 2023 Rio final and the 2022 Cincinnati quarterfinals. Therefore, Alcaraz's loss cannot be entirely attributed to poor form.

Norrie's next opponent will be a wildcard—either Valentin Vacherot or Arthur Rinderknech. These cousins created a fairy-tale story at the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, culminating with Vacherot defeating Rinderknech to claim the title, completing what many called a "Hollywood script." Ranked 204th in the world at that time, Vacherot became the lowest-ranked ATP1000 champion since 1990.

Norrie is the third player in Paris Masters history to upset the top seed in the first round: Julien Benneteau defeated Roger Federer in 2009, and Marc Rosset shocked Pete Sampras in 1996.

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