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Cameron Norrie achieved the most important success of his professional journey by coming back from a set down to overcome top-ranked player Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the early stage of the prestigious indoor tournament.

Even though he had earlier overcome Alcaraz on two separate matches, this triumph represents Norrie's first ever victory over a current world top-ranked player.

"Massive. Extremely important for me," said Norrie, who becomes the latest UK male player in the record books to beat a global number one. "Bouncing back from a physical setback last year, I fell in the initial match of qualifying rounds here. I just tried to appreciate my tennis in the second half of the year. To achieve a win like this, it's the greatest win of my professional life, my initial victory over the world No 1 and probably the strongest player in the sport right now."

Norrie, ranked 31st globally, also halted Alcaraz's dominant streak of nine straight final appearances and 17 successive Masters 1000 successes, which marked the best series of results in the Spanish star's young career.

Contest Breakdown

The top seed appeared to be advancing smoothly to success in the beginning as he cruised through the initial stanza. Yet, Norrie slowly battled back into the match by serving with greater precision and dragging the Spanish opponent into prolonged, grueling exchanges. His unceasing shot tolerance and reliability steadily made an impact.

For much of the match, the world number one delivered strong serves but he had difficulty to locate his rhythm off his groundstrokes. The 22-year-old looked particularly struggling striking his signature shot, which has been the best shot in the game for a large part of this year, haemorrhaging 29 forehand miscues and a combined of 54 errors. On the other side, the British player offered Alcaraz very few errors, maintaining his reliability, fitness and depth all match while performing well on serve and choosing his moments to move into the court and play aggressively.

Decisive Stages

In the nail-biting last moments, Norrie expertly kept his calm to defeat the world's finest in the game.

Personal Journey

Following struggling for a long time due to a major physical setback and struggles with his game, the tennis professional dropped as low as No 91 this season. Following appearances in the advanced stages at Wimbledon and the Roland Garros fourth round after that, this triumph highlights the veteran's development as he seeks to make his way to the top 20 and beyond. Alcaraz, despite his extraordinary success, is yet to figure out how to deliver his top form on indoor courts.