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The British tennis star secured the most important success of his career by coming back from a early deficit to overcome world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in three hard-fought sets in the early stage of the prestigious indoor tournament.

Although he had earlier overcome Alcaraz on two occasions, this victory signifies Norrie's maiden win over a reigning world No 1.

"Huge. Extremely important for me," commented Norrie, who becomes the latest British man in history to beat a world No 1. "Returning from injury last year, I was defeated in the first round of qualifying rounds here. I just aimed to embrace my game in the closing months of the year. To achieve a victory like this, it's the biggest victory of my tennis journey, my first win over the global number one and probably the most confident player in the sport right now."

The British player, seeded No 31, also ended Alcaraz's impressive run of nine straight final appearances and 17 successive premier event wins, which was the top run of outcomes in the Spaniard's developing career.

Match Analysis

The top seed looked to be moving confidently towards victory in the beginning as he eased through the initial stanza. Yet, the British contender slowly worked himself back into the game by delivering with improved accuracy and engaging the Spaniard into lengthy, physical points. His persistent consistency and dependability gradually took its toll.

During large parts of the match, Alcaraz delivered strong serves but he found it challenging to get his timing right on his baseline shots. The 22-year-old appeared especially struggling striking his primary weapon, which has been the best shot in the world for much of this season, haemorrhaging 29 forehand miscues and a total of 54 errors. On the other side, Norrie presented his opponent very few errors, sustaining his reliability, physicality and power throughout while performing well on serve and picking his spots to force himself inside the baseline and strike effectively.

Final Stages

In the nail-biting final games, Norrie superbly held his calm to close out the world's finest in the world.

Personal Journey

After struggling for an extended period due to a major arm issue and difficulties with his form, the tennis professional dropped as low as No 91 this season. After making the advanced stages at the grass-court major and the Roland Garros round of 16 since then, this victory reinforces the experienced player's progress as he seeks to make his way to the world's top twenty and further. Alcaraz, notwithstanding his incredible success, is has not yet master how to display his top form in indoor conditions.