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The British tennis star earned the biggest success of his professional journey by coming back from a set down to overcome top-ranked player Carlos Alcaraz with a stunning comeback in the early stage of the Paris Masters.

Although he had before overcome Alcaraz on two prior meetings, this win marks Norrie's maiden success over a reigning world No 1.

"Enormous. So big for me," said Norrie, who joins as the latest English competitor in history to beat a global number one. "Coming back from injury last year, I was defeated in the initial match of qualifiers here. I just aimed to embrace my performance in the second half of the year. To achieve a win like this, it's the biggest success of my career, my initial victory over the top player and likely the strongest athlete in the tennis scene right now."

Norrie, seeded 31st globally, also halted Alcaraz's supreme sequence of nine straight final appearances and 17 successive Masters 1000 successes, which represented the finest stretch of outcomes in the Spanish star's early career.

Contest Overview

Alcaraz appeared to be moving confidently to success at the start as he eased past the first set. Nevertheless, the British contender slowly worked himself into the match by serving with sharper placement and pulling the Spaniard into lengthy, demanding rallies. His unceasing consistency and dependability slowly took its toll.

For much of the contest, the world number one performed well on serve but he found it challenging to find his timing off his groundstrokes. The 22-year-old appeared particularly uneasy executing his forehand, which has been the most effective stroke in the game for much of this season, haemorrhaging 29 mistakes off the forehand side and a overall of 54 mistakes. Across the net, Norrie gave Alcaraz very few errors, maintaining his steadiness, physicality and penetration throughout while delivering effective serves and picking his spots to force himself inside the baseline and play aggressively.

Closing Stages

In the tense final games, the British competitor expertly maintained his nerve to overcome the top competitor in the sport.

Personal Background

After struggling for an extended period due to a major arm issue and difficulties with his performance, the tennis professional dropped as far down as 91st in the rankings this year. After making the last eight at Wimbledon and the French Open second week subsequently, this triumph highlights the experienced player's improvement as he seeks to return to the elite rankings and further. Alcaraz, despite his incredible achievements, is has not yet solve how to produce his top form in indoor conditions.