Cameron Norrie beats world number 2 Carlos Alcaraz to win the Rio Open | Tennis

Cameron Norrie beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 on Sunday to win the Rio Open.

The result was a measure of revenge for the Briton, who lost to his Spanish opponent in the final of last year’s tournament. Alcaraz also beat Norrie in the Argentina Open final last week.

Alcaraz would have equaled Novak Djokovic in points at the top of the ATP rankings had he won on Sunday, although the Serb would still have been No. 1 due to other results.

The victory gave Norrie the fifth ATP title of his career, and his first since winning the Lyon Open in May 2022. He did it the hard way on Sunday, coming back from a set and a a breakdown before breaking Alcaraz late in the final. ready to claim victory. Alcaraz also appeared to be struggling with a leg injury in the closing stages of the game.

“It’s so special to win this one, especially since I had already lost a few finals this year and had to do it in the hardest way,” Norrie said. “A set and a breakdown and 0-30 on my serve, I looked like I was done there and managed to flip a switch and flip it, so it was a good day. “

Norrie currently leads the tour in wins in 2023, with 18 wins and three losses. In addition to the Rio and Argentina Open finals, he lost to Richard Gasquet in the Auckland Open final in January.

“The game could have gone either way, but I managed to run a bit more and it was a really good game. It’s an honor to share the pitch with you again and compete with you,” said Norrie, speaking to Alacaraz during the trophy presentation.