British number two Cameron Norrie revelled in a ‘massive’ win at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he toppled Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz.
Norrie managed to get under the skin of world number one Alcaraz, who clocked up 54 unforced errors and spent large parts of the second set arguing with his coach.
The 22-year-old beat Norrie in straight sets in the 2025 Wimbledon quarter-finals – and had previously been on a hot streak in Masters events, winning his previous 17 matches.
But Norrie took full advantage of the fact Alcaraz was returning from a three-week recovery from an ankle injury suffered at the Shanghai Masters, winning 4-6 6-3 6-4 at the La Defence Arena.
Biggest win of career
And the 30-year-old left-hander told Sky Sports: “To get this win here is the biggest win of my career and first win over a world No 1 and especially over the most confident player in the world right now.
“I was 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 so I’m really pleased.”
“This is massive,” Norrie added. “I’ve been coming back with my injury last year [forearm] and I lost first-round qualifying here last year, so just trying to enjoy my tennis the second half of the year and I was able to do that.”
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Delight for Dimitrov
Another player in celebratory mood was former world number three Grigor Dimitrov, who secured a 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Dimitrov has been on the sidelines for three months with a pectoral injury, which he suffered in a Wimbledon fourth-round tussle with Jannik Sinner, who went on to win the title at SW12.
The Bulgarian has slipped down to number 38 in the world rankings – and was just relieved to be back on court.
He told Sky Sports: “I just wanted to come out and test myself, give myself a chance. Winning or losing, I still would have felt like I’ve given all I had.
“Of course, it’s difficult to adjust, especially playing against a player like him. You have to be aware throughout the whole time and stay focused.
“It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. There’s always that added stress, especially after so many months away.
“I’m taking it in and just going one day at a time at the moment.”
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