Norrie loses to Vacherot after shocking Alcaraz

At the Paris Masters, British number two Cameron Norrie struggled to find his rhythm as he lost to Valentin Vacherot from Monaco in straight sets.

Norrie, 30, compared his victory over Carlos Alcaraz to “the biggest win of my career,” but he was unable to do so again, falling 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.

In the quarter-finals, Vacherot will face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Daniel Altmaier, who defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech earlier this month to claim his first ATP title.

Vacherot described his victory over Norrie as “a really big performance”.

“I’m pleased with how I handled the hot situations.

“Everything is clicking now,” the statement read. It’s a long-lasting, unrestrained effort.

This year, the Monegasque has lost 10 of its 12 meetings with top-50 players, with Norrie being the latest to fall.

In the opening set, Norrie had only two points on serve, but he was unable to capitalize on his only break point and ultimately fell short in the tie-break.

When he attempted to get the crowd to believe him by raising his arms in the second set, the crowd in the French capital booed him.

At 2-2, he went on to fail to score two more break points before dropping serve the next time.

Vacherot saved two more break points to take the lead 5-3, waved his racquet to the crowd, and with momentum on his side and a view to the finish line.

Those who still believed Vacherot’s victory in Shanghai was a fluke now need to reevaluate their position.

Vacherot is proving any lingering cynics wrong in Paris by playing with absolute confidence and clarity in the pressure points.

It’s not easy to pull off 10 match victories at the Masters, which is the most prestigious tier of tournaments on the ATP after the Grand Slams.

Vacherot becomes the only other men’s player ranked outside the top 20 after defeating Norrie, who collected more points in the contest but not the crucial ones.

Vacherot can clearly use his powerful serve to relieve pressure at all times.

The 6’4″ right-hander, however, proves he can move against one of Norrie’s best athletes, and not just as a “serve-bot.”

His forehand is as clutch as his serve, and he continues to prove his fearless defiance of his risk-reward strategy.