By Tony Fairbairn
- Cameron Norrie def Carlos Alcaraz [1] 4-6 6-3 6-4
- Norrie v Valentin Vacherot [WC] | H2H: First Meeting
PARIS, FRANCE – Cameron Norrie halted Carlos Alcaraz’s charge for the year-end world number one ranking as the Brit progressed to the third round in Paris where he will face Valentin Vacherot.
 |
|---|
Cameron Norrie def Carlos Alcaraz [1] 4-6 6-3 6-4
Cameron Norrie recorded one of the best wins of his career as he defeated world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the French capital. The Spaniard’s charge to end the year on top of the rankings was halted by a patient yet aggressive Norrie while Alcaraz hit over 50 unforced errors in the contest. After a decent start which saw Norrie create break point in the second game, the Brit was broken by a ruthless Alcaraz in the fifth game as the Spaniard sealed a 3-2 lead.
The British number two continued to put pressure on Alcaraz in what was very slow conditions and created another break point in the following game only to be denied once again. The top seed was flawless in the big points and proved that as he converted his third set point opportunity to grind out a 52 minute opening set in Paris.
Both players were efficient to start the second set but it was clear that Alcaraz was not in his best form and struggled to adapt to the conditions. The Brit used that to his advantage as Norrie broke to love in the fourth game before consolidating for a 4-1 lead after saving two break points. The longer the match went on, the more unforced errors Alcaraz committed as he was barely holding onto his server. There were no problems for Norrie as he levelled the match at one set all.
In the final set, there was only one player who was creating the opportunities and that was Norrie. An aggressive set saw him create three break points before eventually taking his fourth break point to break for a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. In the following game, Alcaraz created two break points as he looked for an immediate response but it was never going to be the top seed’s day with the unforced errors that were being produced from his racket.
A comfortable hold of serve saw Norrie score one of the biggest wins of his career as he moved into the third round in Paris.
Cameron Norrie v Valentin Vacherot [WC] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Cameron Norrie v Carlos Alcaraz [1] | H2H: First Meeting |
| ATP Paris-Bercy 2025 | Paris, France |
| Indoor Hard | Prize Money: €82,465 |
| First on Court Central (10:00 GMT) | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required |
Norrie will now look to back that up when he faces Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot who has rocketed up the rankings in the last month.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (Last 52 Weeks)
| H2H: | Cameron Norrie (WR 31) | Valentin Vacherot (WR 40) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R3 (2021) | N/A |
| 1st Serve % | 65.9 | 67.9 |
| Service Games Won % | 79.5 | 80.6 |
| Break Points Saved % | 66.6 | 55.6 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 52.2 | 52.1 |
| Break Points Converted % | 39.3 | 34.6 |
Norrie will have to be at his best on return as Vacherot has produced some incredible serving statistics over the past few weeks.
 |
|---|
Playing Styles and Prediction
Before winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Shanghai, Vacherot was ranked outside the world’s top 200. Now the 26 year-old is threatening to be seeded at next year’s Australian Open and is producing some of the best tennis of his career as he aims for more Masters 1000 success in Paris this week.
Norrie will aim to continue his efficiency on return as he will aim to be smart from the baseline, using the backhand to move Vacherot around. Meanwhile, Vacherot will serve aggressively and use the forehand to dictate the points. This will be a tough test as Vacherot has shown that he can be patient in the longer rallies. However, Norrie should have too much consistent quality and experience as he looks for a place in the quarter-finals.
Prediction: Norrie in three sets.
How to Watch/Follow ATP Paris-Bercy 2025
| Live Stream | Sky/Now TV <- Subscription Required
TennisTV <- Subscription Required |
| Live Scores | Tennis Scores Powered By TNNSLIVE |
| Follow Britwatch - Sport in General, Brits in Particular! | |
|---|---|
| Soundcloud | |
| YouTube | |
| We may receive compensation for products purchased via affiliate links on this website | |