ATP Tour

Norrie stuns Alcaraz in Paris, snaps Spaniard's 17-match Masters 1000 winning streak

Cameron Norrie earned his first win against a World No. 1 on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he shocked a below-par Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round in the French capital.

Alcaraz was competing for the first time since he won his Tour-leading eighth title of the season in Tokyo in late September and was far from his best in his eighth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Norrie (5-3 in Alcaraz’s favour). The top seed committed 54 unforced errors and uncharacteristically struggled with his timing and footwork for large periods.

Despite winning the first set, Alcaraz was continuously searching for a level that never arrived and he had a lively conversation with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero courtside after he dropped the second set. The defeat ends Alcaraz’s 17-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 events, dating back to Miami in March, when he also fell in his opening match. The Spaniard lifted trophies in Monte-Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati.

“Massive, so big for me,” Norrie said on what the victory means to him. “I have been coming back from my injury. Last year, I lost first round of qualies here. I have just tried to enjoy my tennis in the second half of the year and I was able to do that and to get a win like this, the biggest of my career, my first over a World No. 1 and especially against the most confident player in the world right now, with Sinner combined. I am just so pleased with the way I did it. I had a lot of chances and had to keep pushing and going for more and I was able to stay tough and get the win, so I am really pleased.”

Alcaraz could now cede top spot in the PIF ATP Rankings this week after losing just his eighth match of the season. If Jannik Sinner wins the title in Paris, he will return to World No. 1 for the first time since the US Open.

In the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, Alcaraz remains in a strong position, though. He currently leads the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, a key indicator of the year-end rankings, by 2,040 points.

With his upset win, Norrie defeated a World No. 1 for the first time in his fifth attempt. The British lefty is into the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event for the first time since Rome in 2023 and has equalled his best result in Paris (R3, 2021). The 30-year-old, who won his lone Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells in 2021, raised his fist into the air after sealing victory on his second match point before he turned to his box to celebrate.

“I played a really, really good first set. I thought it was close. He just took his chances and I didn’t,” Norrie said. “I wanted to keep pushing and honestly, it was such a physical match. I have been doing some workouts with my fitness coach Vasek and I was telling my team that this is even tougher than the conditioning sessions with Vasek and he makes them tough sessions. So I think I felt quite comfortable with that and I just wanted to keep pushing him and I saw him talking with his team a lot and that gave me some confidence.”

STATEMENT MADE 🤯@cam_norrie knocks out World No. 1 Alcaraz 4-6 6-3 6-4!@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/R28kehiaV4

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 28, 2025

While Alcaraz is known for being one of the game’s best shotmakers, it was Norrie who stole the early spotlight, nailing a backhand flick passing shot on the fourth point of the match.

With both players looking to move forward and dictate play, a crucial moment came at 2-2 in the opening set. Norrie double faulted at deuce, opening the door for Alcaraz, who then converted his first break point by hammering a forehand crosscourt into the Briton’s backhand. After winning the opening set, Alcaraz struggled in the second set. The Spaniard was unable to find any rhythm in the baseline exchanges and could not deal with the British lefty’s heavy topspin forehand, with Norrie forcing a decider.

The Spaniard had a chat with Ferrero ahead of the third set, with both seemingly voicing their thoughts about the performance. Alcaraz’s timing was off in the third set and he lost his serve in the seventh game of the set when a pumped-up Norrie fired a backhand pass crosscourt. With the pressure on, Norrie fended off two break points in the following game, according to ATP Infosys Stats, and held his nerve to triumph after two hours and 22 minutes.

“That 4-3 game was crucial," World No. 31 Norrie said. "I saved a couple of break points there and then when I went to serve for the match, I actually went for a walk with my coach this morning and we talked through serving for a match and what I need to tell myself because I was so, so tight serving for the match against Baez yesterday. I was 0/40 on my serve but managed to get it. I told myself I deserved to be in this moment and want to be here, so I felt quite relaxed with that and it was a nice walk and a very important walk.”

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Norrie will next face a wild card, Valentin Vacherot or Arthur Rinderknech, who are cousins. Vacherot capped his fairytale run at this month’s Rolex Shanghai Masters with a championship victory against Rinderknech, a fitting finish for the Hollywood-worthy story. Vacherot, then World No. 204, became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990).

Did You Know?
Norrie is the third player in tournament history to upset the top seed in the opening round in Paris. Julien Benneteau beat Roger Federer in 2009 and Marc Rosset upset Pete Sampras in 1996.