Cameron Norrie battles past ailing Carlos Alcaraz to clinch Rio Open title

Second seed Cameron Norrie beat top seed Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling summit clash of Rio Open 2023 to clinch his fifth ATP singles title on Sunday.

On Sunday, Carlos Alcaraz appeared to be on track to win the Rio Open presented by Claro for a second time in a row when he had a 7-5, 3-0, 0/30 lead over Cameron Norrie. However, a resurgent Norrie and the Spaniard's physical difficulties proved to be too much to overcome.

Second seed Norrie rallied for a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 victory after two hours and 42 minutes in the ATP 500 final. The triumph marked the Briton's fifth ATP Tour title and his first hardware of the season.

Although Alcaraz wasn't playing well in the beginning, he had the momentum on his side when he smashed a backhand return winner to take the first set. Norrie expressed his annoyance as the match appeared to be losing steam after he gave up an early service break in the second set. Nonetheless, he never gave up in his pursuit of an ATP Tour record 18th victory of the year (18-3). With 14 victories, Daniil Medvedev holds the record.

After losing in the Auckland final in January and the Buenos Aires championship match last week, it was an emotional win for Norrie.

In the second set, the lefty refocused just in time to stay in the match, as Alcaraz's right leg started to hurt. The Spaniard had it in the bag in the middle of the set, and his movement and serve both suffered as a result.

Alcaraz made every effort to fight his way to the finish line while Norrie served as a wall at the back of the court. Despite his physical difficulties, the Spaniard looked for solutions by serving and volleying, crushing returns, and charging forward.

The World No. 2 played really aggressive tennis to come back from falling behind by a break in the third set and go closer to the win with a couple more huge shots. The Spaniard maintained his chances of winning a second consecutive championship in Rio de Janeiro by displaying jaw-dropping power from the baseline and consistently employing his drop shot to conclude points swiftly.

Uncertain of the extent of his injuries, the 19-year-old appeared to communicate with his squad throughout the first half of the third set. He never let his tenacity slide.

"So special to win this one, especially I'd lost a couple finals already this year and I had to do it the tough way. A set and a break down and 0/30 on my serve, I was looking done there and I managed to flick a switch and turn it around, so it was a good day," ATP.com quoted Norrie as saying.

"Especially on a surface that I'm not too comfortable with. I had to battle a lot of demons the last couple weeks, but I managed to just play well in the big moments and that's what it took today," Norrie said.

"What a match, Charlie, man. Another battle. I had to give absolutely everything to beat you today and obviously it could have gone your way as well" Norrie said to Alcaraz during the trophy ceremony.

"Congrats on another final. Congrats to your team. The match could have gone either way, but I managed to run a little bit more and it was a really good match. It's an honour to share the court with you again and compete with you," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )