Cameron Norrie slays Carlos Alcaraz to win Rio Open
Cameron Norrie came back from a set down to defeat teenage tearaway Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Rio Open on Sunday.
Cameron Norrie.The Spaniard got the better of Norrie in last week's Argentina Open final in Buenos Aires, but the British number one hit back in style in Brazil.
The sequel was better than the original on the Brazilian clay in a match that had twists and turns throughout.
Norrie looked in trouble as he was a set and a break down but staged an impressive comeback to win 5-7 6-4 6-4.
Alacaraz, who won the 2022 title in Rio, was carrying a thigh injury but was still playing enough high quality tennis for this to be classed as a big scalp for Norrie. It is a second title on clay for the Brit and first of 2023.
"It's so special to win this one, I have lost a couple of finals this year," he said on Prime Video.
"I had to do it the tough way, I was a set and a break down and I was looking done but I managed to flick a switch and turn it around, so it was a good day."
It was a high-quality first set and Norrie had the chance to break in the fourth game and get the early advantage but Alcaraz held firm and that proved important.
The Briton saved a set point at 4-5 with a searing cross-court forehand, but the Spaniard came back for more in Norrie's following service game and this time got the break that sealed the first set.
The writing looked on the wall for the British number one as Alcaraz raced into a 3-0 lead in the second set, but that is where things got interesting.
Norrie stopped the rot by holding serve and then went on to win the next three games to claim an unlikely 4-3 lead.
Alcaraz, who missed the Australian Open with a leg injury, was up for the fight and hit back on Norrie's serve, only for the Brit to win the following two games and take the set 6-4.
It was a topsy-turvy dramatic decider, which swung both ways over 56 enthralling minutes.
With Alcaraz's fitness problems seeing him adopt a gung-ho approach, there were four breaks of serves in the opening six games before Norrie became the aggressor.
Some fearless hitting, mixed in an array of deft drop shots, which saw Alcaraz repeatedly fend off break points in the final part of the set as Norrie searched for a decisive breakthrough.
It eventually came in the 11th game and Norrie served it out with an ace to claim a memorable win and impressive piece of silverware.
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