Alcaraz lost in the first match at the Paris Masters

Alcaraz played under form, in his first official match since winning his eighth title of the season in Tokyo at the end of September. The world number one player made 54 unforced errors, and had difficulty adjusting to the tempo and movement on the Center Court at La Defense Arena.

Even though he won the first set thanks to a single break, Alcaraz still struggled to find the feeling of playing. The Spanish tennis player had a tense exchange with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after losing the second set 3-6, also losing a service game in the entire set. Losing the third set 4-6 made Alcaraz fail for the first time at Masters 1000 since March in Miami, where he also stopped in the opening match. In a 17-match winning streak since then, Alcaraz has won in Monte Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati.

With this defeat, Alcaraz is at risk of losing his world No. 1 ranking in the ATP scoreboard next week. If Jannik Sinner wins in Paris, the Italian player will return to the top of the table for the first time since the US Open. However, in the race for the number 1 position at the end of the year, Alcaraz still holds a big advantage with a difference of 2,040 points.

The victory over Alcaraz also marked the first time Norrie defeated the reigning world No. 1. The 30-year-old Englishman reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time since Rome 2023, equaling his best performance in Paris.

"It's huge for me, absolutely huge, " Norrie said of the meaning of the victory. "I just came back from injury. Last year, I lost right from the qualifying round here. The second half of this year I tried to enjoy tennis more, and winning against someone who is in the most confident form on the planet made me extremely happy " '.

In the third set, the turning point came when Norrie took advantage of the break point in the seventh game after a cross-court backhand counterattack. Under pressure, he saved two break points in the following game and maintained his spirit to end the match after 2 hours and 22 minutes.

Norrie is the third player in Paris Masters history to defeat the No. 1 seed in the first match.. Previously, Julien Benneteau beat Roger Federer in 2009 and Marc Rosset beat Pete Sampras in 1996.

Norrie's next opponent will be the winner of the match between the two cousins, Valentin Vacherot and Arthur Rinderknech. Vacherot just ended his fairytale journey at the Shanghai Masters this month by winning the championship after defeating Rinderknech himself, becoming the lowest-ranked Masters 1000 champion in history (world number 204).