Norrie sends Alcaraz packing in stunning upset at Paris Masters

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The world No. 1 male tennis player crashed out in his opening match.

Yes, you read it right — it happened.

On Oct. 29, 2025, 31st-ranked Briton Cameron Norrie did the unthinkable and handed Carlos Alcaraz one of his earliest exits in any ATP-sanctioned event this year, stunning him during the Round of 32 of the ongoing Paris Masters, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in Nanterre, France.

After dropping the first set, Norrie quickly flipped the switch and reversed the tables by flaunting a much-improved baseline defense that neutralized Alcaraz’s rally points.

Alcaraz had his way in the opener, piling up a barrage of down-the-line forehand winners that set the tone, capped off by a service break to snatch an early 1-0 lead.

However, Norrie’s on-point adjustment in the second set caught Alcaraz off guard, limiting his rushed baseline shots while adopting a more patient approach to attack.

Norrie wisely picked his spots, choosing when to attack and when to hold back and stay on the baseline.

As a result, Alcaraz started to slow down and committed unforced errors, which the British ace capitalized on.

In a surprising sequence during the last two sets, Alcaraz didn’t look like himself, conceding tons of freebie points to Norrie as his unforced error count continued to mount.

By the end of the second set, Alcaraz was clearly out of rhythm and entered desperation mode when he gave away the first four points of the final frame.

Frustrated and out of sync, the 22-year-old superstar lost momentum when Norrie secured a crucial break point to break the 3-all deadlock.

Norrie moved two games away from sealing the upset win and wrapped up the Round of 32 contest with an overhand smash, followed by a sweet slice drop shot that brought the crowd to their feet.

“I have just tried to enjoy my tennis in the second half of the year and I was able to do that and to get a win like this, the biggest of my career, my first over a world No. 1 and especially against the most confident player in the world right now,” said Norrie after the victory.

Norrie finished the massive win with 101 total points won, including 36 on return and two break points.

On the other hand, Alcaraz — who suffered an uncharacteristic first-match exit — lost his edge in the last two sets and ended the game with a disappointing tally of 54 unforced errors.

“I didn’t feel well today. A lot of mistakes,” said Alcaraz.

“I had a lot of practices here, which I was feeling great. I had no feeling at all. I’m really disappointed about my level today, and it is what it is.”