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The British tennis star achieved the biggest victory of his career by rebounding from a set down to beat world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the early stage of the Paris Masters.

Although he had previously overcome Alcaraz on two separate matches, this victory represents Norrie's first ever success over a current world No 1.

"Huge. So big for me," said Norrie, who is now the fifth English competitor in the record books to overcome a world No 1. "Bouncing back from health issues last year, I was defeated in the opening stage of qualies here. I just tried to appreciate my game in the closing months of the year. To achieve a victory like this, it's the greatest win of my career, my initial victory over the world No 1 and probably the strongest athlete in the tennis scene right now."

Norrie, seeded 31st globally, also stopped Alcaraz's supreme run of nine straight final appearances and 17 straight premier event victories, which represented the finest stretch of performances in the Spanish star's early career.

Contest Breakdown

The top seed looked to be moving confidently towards victory at the start as he cruised past the initial stanza. Yet, Norrie gradually fought his way back into the game by serving with improved accuracy and pulling the Spaniard into prolonged, demanding points. His unceasing consistency and dependability slowly left its mark.

During large parts of the battle, the world number one delivered strong serves but he found it challenging to find his timing off his groundstrokes. The young star looked especially struggling hitting his signature shot, which has been the most effective stroke in the world for much of this year, producing 29 mistakes off the forehand side and a overall of 54 unforced errors. Across the net, the British player presented his opponent minimal unforced errors, maintaining his reliability, fitness and power the entire contest while performing well on serve and choosing his moments to advance into the court and play aggressively.

Final Phase

In the tense last moments, the British competitor expertly held his calm to defeat the world's finest in the game.

Career Background

After dealing for an extended period due to a major physical setback and challenges with his game, Norrie slipped as low as 91st in the rankings this year. After making the advanced stages at the grass-court major and the Roland Garros fourth round after that, this win further underlines the experienced player's progress as he attempts to come back to the world's top twenty and even higher. The Spanish sensation, notwithstanding his extraordinary achievements, is still hasn't master how to display his best tennis indoors.