The tennis world witnessed a stunning upset in Paris on Tuesday as Putney’s Cameron Norrie produced the performance of his career, defeating world number one Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Rolex Paris Masters.
It was vindication of a sort after it was Alcaraz who ended Norrie’s impressive Wimbledon run this summer on Centre Court.
The 30-year-old British number two showed remarkable mental fortitude to come from a set down and claim his first-ever victory against a world number one, making him the first British player to defeat a top-ranked opponent since Dan Evans knocked out Novak Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021.
The victory ended Alcaraz’s impressive 17-match winning streak at ATP Masters 1000 events, which dated back to Miami in March. The six-time Grand Slam champion, who was playing his first match since winning in Tokyo a month ago, struggled throughout and committed 54 unforced errors while winning only 64% of his first-serve points.
Norrie revealed the key to his success came from an unlikely source – a morning walk with his coach. “I went for a walk with my coach this morning and we talked through serving for a match and what I need to tell myself because I was so, so tight serving for the match against Baez yesterday,” he explained. “I told myself I deserved to be in this moment and want to be here, so I felt quite relaxed.”
The win marks a significant milestone for Norrie, who described it as “the biggest of my career” after coming back from injury and losing in the first round of qualifying in Paris last year.
Boulter’s Hong Kong Heartbreak
Meanwhile, Britain’s Katie Boulter endured a devastating end to her season at the Hong Kong Open. The 29-year-old was forced to retire from her first-round match against 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala while trailing 6-4, 2-1, calling for her trainer and leaving the court in tears.
The retirement was particularly painful for Boulter, who was defending finalist points from reaching the 2024 Hong Kong Open final, and the loss will see her drop outside the top 90 in the WTA rankings.
Boulter has won just eight of her past 21 main draw matches and has failed to progress beyond the second round of a tournament since the Nottingham Open in June, highlighting what has been a difficult season for the British player.
Eala showed class after the match, telling the crowd: “This time of the year is a tough moment for a lot of players, physically and mentally being the end of the season. I hope that Katie can take this time to recover and just look back on her season proudly.”
The incidents come as the gruelling tennis calendar continues to take its toll on players, with several high-profile stars having ended their 2025 campaigns prematurely over recent weeks after suffering injury or health issues.
