🔗 Share this article

The British tennis star earned the biggest win of his career by rebounding from a early deficit to defeat top-ranked player Carlos Alcaraz with a stunning comeback in the early stage of the prestigious indoor tournament.

Although he had before beaten Alcaraz on two prior meetings, this victory represents Norrie's first ever success over a current world top-ranked player.

"Massive. So big for me," said Norrie, who is now the latest English competitor in the record books to beat a top-ranked player. "Bouncing back from health issues last year, I was defeated in the opening stage of qualifying rounds here. I just aimed to enjoy my game in the closing months of the year. To secure a win like this, it's the greatest success of my tennis journey, my first win over the top player and probably the strongest competitor in the sport right now."

Norrie, positioned 31st globally, also stopped Alcaraz's impressive streak of nine straight final appearances and 17 straight elite tournament victories, which marked the finest stretch of results in the young champion's young career.

Contest Overview

The top seed seemed to be moving confidently to a win at the start as he eased through the first set. Nevertheless, the British contender gradually battled back into contention by delivering with sharper placement and dragging the Spaniard into lengthy, grueling rallies. His persistent consistency and dependability gradually made an impact.

Through most of the match, Alcaraz delivered strong serves but he had difficulty to get his timing right off his groundstrokes. The young star seemed particularly struggling striking his signature shot, which has been the best shot in the world for a large part of this year, haemorrhaging 29 forehand unforced errors and a total of 54 unforced errors. On the other side, the British player gave his opponent minimal unforced errors, keeping up his reliability, physicality and power all match while delivering effective serves and selecting opportunities to move forward and strike effectively.

Final Phase

In the tense last moments, the British competitor brilliantly kept his nerve to overcome the best player in the game.

Career Background

After struggling for months due to a serious arm issue and challenges with his game, the tennis professional slipped as low as No 91 this year. Having reached the advanced stages at the grass-court major and the French Open second week after that, this victory reinforces the 30-year-old's development as he seeks to come back to the elite rankings and beyond. Alcaraz, notwithstanding his remarkable accomplishments, is yet to master how to deliver his top form in indoor conditions.