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The British tennis star earned the biggest success of his professional journey by rebounding from a set down to defeat world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in three hard-fought sets in the early stage of the Paris Masters.

Although he had earlier overcome Alcaraz on two separate matches, this win marks Norrie's first ever victory over a reigning world No 1.

"Massive. So big for me," said Norrie, who becomes the newest British man in the record books to beat a top-ranked player. "Returning from health issues last year, I was defeated in the initial match of qualifiers here. I just sought to embrace my game in the latter part of the year. To get a triumph like this, it's the greatest success of my career, my initial victory over the global number one and probably the most confident competitor in the world right now."

Norrie, positioned 31st in the world, also ended Alcaraz's dominant streak of nine finals in a row and 17 successive premier event wins, which represented the finest stretch of results in the Spanish star's early professional path.

Game Breakdown

Alcaraz appeared to be advancing smoothly to success at the start as he eased past the initial stanza. Nevertheless, Norrie slowly worked himself into the match by serving with improved accuracy and pulling the Spaniard into lengthy, physical rallies. His persistent consistency and reliability gradually left its mark.

During large parts of the match, the world number one performed well on serve but he found it challenging to find his timing off his groundstrokes. The young star appeared notably struggling hitting his forehand, which has been the best shot in the world for most of this year, committing 29 mistakes off the forehand side and a total of 54 errors. On the other side, the British player presented his opponent very few errors, sustaining his steadiness, physicality and depth throughout while delivering effective serves and choosing his moments to force himself inside the baseline and play aggressively.

Closing Stages

In the nail-biting last moments, Norrie superbly held his calm to overcome the world's finest in the game.

Professional Journey

Following dealing for months due to a serious left forearm injury and struggles with his performance, the tennis professional fell as far down as 91st globally this season. Having reached the advanced stages at the grass-court major and the Roland Garros fourth round subsequently, this victory highlights the 30-year-old's progress as he attempts to return to the world's top twenty and even higher. The Spanish sensation, in spite of his incredible accomplishments, is has not yet figure out how to display his top form in indoor conditions.