Cameron Norrie caused one of the shocks of 2025 by defeating world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris Masters second round.
Alcaraz did not play at his usual high standard, hitting 54 unforced errors during the match.
Norrie ultimately capitalised on Alcaraz’s struggles, winning the contest 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Paris La Defense Arena.
Norrie will face Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot in the third round, while Alcaraz is left to rue his missed opportunity.
Alcaraz has never won the Paris Masters, failing to make it past the third round stage since 2022.
In 2022, he reached the quarter-final stage before losing to Holger Rune, who eventually won the tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz joins an unfortunate Paris Masters list after Cameron Norrie loss
As reported by OptaAce, since the ATP 1000 format introduction in 1990, Carlos Alcaraz is the third top-seed to lose his opening match at the Paris Masters.
The other top seeds to lose were Pete Sampras in 1996 and Roger Federer in 2009.
In 1996, after receiving a first-round bye, Sampras was defeated 6-4, 6-4 by Switzerland’s Marc Rosset.
Rosset reached the quarter-final stage before losing to Sweden’s Magnus Gustafsson.
Fellow Swedish player Thomas Enqvist won the tournament, defeating former world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 in the final.
In 2009, Federer was stunned in the Paris Masters second round by Frenchman Julien Benneteau, who won their contest 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Benneteau lost in the next round to compatriot Gael Monfils, who ended up reaching the final.
There, he lost to Novak Djokovic, who described winning the tournament as a ‘big relief.’
A good omen?
Remarkably, there may be a silver lining for Alcaraz after his stunning loss in Paris.
As discussed previously, Alcaraz is the third top-seed to lose his opening match at the Paris Masters, after Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.
As noted by Bastien Fachan, both Sampras and Federer won the Australian Open the year following their Paris Masters defeats.
In 1997, Sampras defeated Mark Woodforde, Thomas Muster and Carlos Moya on his way to the Australian Open title. It was his second title, after triumphing in 1994.
In 2010, Federer defeated Andy Murray to win his fourth Australian Open title.
