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The British tennis star achieved the most important win of his career by rallying from a set down to beat world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in three hard-fought sets in the second round of the Paris Masters.

Although he had earlier beaten Alcaraz on two separate matches, this triumph signifies Norrie's maiden win over a reigning world No 1.

"Massive. Extremely important for me," stated Norrie, who becomes the latest British man in the record books to beat a world No 1. "Coming back from health issues last year, I was defeated in the first round of qualies here. I just sought to embrace my performance in the second half of the year. To secure a victory like this, it's the biggest victory of my tennis journey, my maiden triumph over the top player and probably the strongest athlete in the tennis scene right now."

The British player, seeded No 31, also halted Alcaraz's supreme streak of nine finals in a row and 17 consecutive premier event wins, which represented the finest stretch of performances in the Spanish star's developing career.

Contest Breakdown

Alcaraz looked to be moving confidently to a win early on as he eased through the first set. However, the British contender gradually worked himself back into the game by executing with sharper placement and dragging the Spanish opponent into prolonged, demanding rallies. His unceasing consistency and dependability steadily left its mark.

During large parts of the battle, Alcaraz served well but he had difficulty to locate his rhythm with his rally strokes. The 22-year-old seemed particularly struggling hitting his primary weapon, which has been the top weapon in the world for a large part of this year, haemorrhaging 29 forehand unforced errors and a total of 54 errors. On the other side, the British player presented Alcaraz minimal unforced errors, maintaining his steadiness, fitness and depth the entire contest while serving efficiently and selecting opportunities to move inside the baseline and play aggressively.

Final Stages

In the tight last moments, the British competitor brilliantly kept his composure to close out the top competitor in the world.

Professional Background

After struggling for months due to a major arm issue and difficulties with his game, Norrie dropped as low as 91st globally this season. Having reached the last eight at Wimbledon and the clay-court Grand Slam fourth round subsequently, this triumph highlights the veteran's progress as he attempts to come back to the world's top twenty and further. Alcaraz, in spite of his extraordinary success, is has not yet master how to produce his best tennis in indoor conditions.