Home » ATP Rio: Cameron Norrie defeats a hurt Carlos Alcaraz to win the championship.

Cameron Norrie got back at Carlos Alcaraz in Rio a week after losing the title match to him in Buenos Aires. The Briton won his fifth ATP title and first at the ATP 500 level by defeating an ailing Spaniard 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and forty-one minutes.

Alcaraz had a 7-5, 3-0 lead but was unable to seal the match and win the eighth ATP crown. Since the end of the second set, the Spaniard, who was dealing with a left leg ailment, has played all-or-nothing shots to conserve energy and limit his mobility.

Even though he wasn’t at his physical best, the teenager made every effort to stay in touch with the decision-maker. However, Norrie defeated him in game 11 and won the match on his serve in game 12 to take the victory and record his 17th triumph in 2023.

Alcaraz struggled to control his strokes, managing only 40 victories and 52 unforced mistakes. In order to strike the same amount of wins and unforced errors and finish first, Norrie fired 26 unreturned serves and controlled his strokes well.

Carlos Alcaraz was defeated by Cameron Norrie in Rio de Janeiro.

The Briton saved four of nine break points and had 16 chances to steal the opponent’s serve. Following the second stroke, both players found a smooth rhythm and the score reached 2-2.

After a sloppy forehand in game five’s break point, Norrie was in trouble at 3-4. With brave hitting, a left-hander held off three break points and tied the score at 4-4. At 5-4, Alcaraz had a set point thanks to a delicate drop shot, but Norrie saved it with a forehand strike.

At 6-5 in the third straight game, Carlos made a powerful push on the return and won a set point with a drop shot. The young Spaniard won the opening match 7-5 in just under an hour with a backhand down the line return winner.

Carlos held at love for a 3-0 victory after saving break points early in the second set, breaking twice in a row in game two. In the fourth game, Cameron was down 30-0 and staring at the exit. Following the opponent’s forehand blunder in game five, the Englishman won the match and broke back.

Alcaraz chose to serve and volley in game seven despite being injured and was broken twice in a row, falling behind 4-3. After an errant forehand from the Briton in game eight, the Spaniard persisted and regained the lead.

On game nine, Cameron maintained composure and scored his third consecutive break to create a 5-4 advantage and serve the set. In game eleven, he held at love with an ace down the T line to win the match and force a decider. At the start of the championship game, Carlos made another drive and broke in game two to take a 2-0 lead.

To experience a break and keep the opponent on the offensive, he netted a forehand in the subsequent shot. In game five, Norrie broke once more to take the lead before breaking his serve in the following game to keep the match at 3-3.

In game nine, Carlos barely moved as he turned away two break points to secure a huge hold and a 5-4 advantage. In game 11, he overcame a 40-0 deficit before Norrie won the fourth break point following Alcaraz‘s awful backhand.

At 6-5, the British player served for the win and hit an ace on his second match point to win.