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Cameron Norrie Crashes Out Of Paris Masters As Valentin Vacherot Continues Dream Run
British number two Cameron Norrie was unable to replicate his heroic form from the previous round as he fell 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 to Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot in the Paris Masters.
Just a day after describing his shock win over world number one Carlos Alcaraz as “the biggest win of my career,” Norrie struggled to find his rhythm against the in-form Monegasque.
Vacherot, who recently captured his first ATP title at the Shanghai Masters, continued his hot streak with another composed display. He will now face either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Daniel Altmaier in the quarter-finals.
“It was a really big performance,” Vacherot said after the match. “Everything is clicking now. It’s the work of many years — pure work.”
The 25-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise in 2025. Ranked world number 204 just two months ago, Vacherot has climbed to 40th and has now won 10 of his last 12 matches against top-50 opponents — with Norrie becoming his latest scalp.
Despite a solid start, Norrie’s inability to convert break points proved costly. He dropped just two points on serve in the opening set but failed to seize his only break opportunity, eventually losing the tiebreak.
Things went from bad to worse in the second set when Norrie — booed by sections of the Paris crowd after trying to rally their support — squandered two more break points and was broken immediately after.
Vacherot, feeding off the energy of the crowd, saved two more break points before closing out the match with authority, sealing victory when Norrie netted a forehand on match point.
It was a tough end to the tournament for Norrie, who showed flashes of brilliance earlier in the week but couldn’t maintain consistency against a player riding a wave of confidence and momentum.
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