Norrie Defeats Alcaraz, Eliminated in Paris

Probably Carlos Alcaraz played his worst match of the year this Tuesday at the Paris Masters 1000. The Spaniard, frustrated by the court conditions and the multitude of errors he made, fell to Cameron Norrie (6-4, 3-6, 6-4) and could lose the number one ranking if Jannik Sinner wins the title next Sunday.

Alcaraz's return to the city where he completed the greatest comeback of his career in June to win Roland Garros couldn't have been more bitter. It was his weakest performance of the season, akin to his loss to David Goffin in Miami, also ending a streak of nine consecutive finals. It's the second time he's exited a tournament on his debut, just as he did in Miami.

Alcaraz was simply terrible. He won the first set in fits and starts with certain lapses that Norrie failed to capitalise on, but once Norrie, with his unorthodox and soft backhand, got into the match, he began to exploit the erratic play of the Spaniard, who was not at all pleased with the conditions of the Paris court, slower than ever now that it has moved from Bercy to the La Defense arena.

"This is worse than Monte Carlo," he told Juan Carlos Ferrero after losing the second set. By that time, Alcaraz had tripled Norrie's errors with his forehand and doubled with his backhand. It was a match drama. "I can't feel the ball, I can't play here. This is like playing on clay," added the Spaniard while Ferrero tried to encourage him. "Focus on what you do well," to which Alcaraz laughed and replied, "If I do everything wrong."

He was frustrated and walking a tightrope from which he would eventually fall. In the third and final set, Alcaraz saved a break point in his second service game, two in the third, and in the fourth, he lost his serve.

Norrie, who is not known for being the most solid or the most forceful, left a gap open for the Spaniard to return, with two break points that he failed to capitalise on, ultimately sending him to the canvas. His record was terrible. He committed 54 unforced errors, 29 with the forehand, 25 with the backhand, and two double faults, while Norrie made only 25, less than half. This statistic completely overshadowed his 33 winners.

It is the Spaniard's earliest defeat since Miami and the first on the circuit, not counting the Laver Cup exhibition. This also allows Sinner to dream of reclaiming the number one spot this week. For that, the Italian will have to win the title. However, it would only last a week until the 1500 points he defends for winning the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin are deducted.

The Spaniard still depends on himself to finish the year as the best, and regardless of what Sinner does in the French capital, if he wins three matches in Turin, he will secure the top spot in the rankings.

Alcaraz now only has two tournaments left this year, the aforementioned Masters Cup, which begins on November 9, and the Davis Cup, which starts on November 18 in Bologna.

Paris will continue for another year as one of the Masters 1000 missing from Alcaraz's record, along with Shanghai and Canada. His best result here was the quarter-finals in 2022.