Cameron Norrie had to "give absolutely everything" to turn tables on Carlos Alcaraz in Rio Open final

Cameron Norrie was down a set and a break in Sunday’s Rio Open final to Carlos Alcaraz. It didn't matter for the man armed with huge lungs after two hours and 40 minutes of intense play.

Norrie clawed his way back and in a match that saw both competitors battle physical wear and tear, the second seed toppled the defending champion, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. And with it, Norrie posted his second Top 2 victory of the year, having also rallied from a set down to beat then No. 2 Rafael Nadal at the United Cup.

"I had to give absolutely everything to beat you today," Norrie told Alcaraz on-court afterwards. "Obviously it could have gone your way as well. I managed to run a little bit more and it was a really good match. It's an honor to share the court with you again."

A week earlier, it was Alcaraz who emerged victorious in their Argentina Open final-round duel in Buenos Aires. For a while, it appeared that history would repeat itself at the Golden Swing’s 500-level stop. But after building his 7-5, 3-0, 30-0 lead, there was a noticeable difference in Alcaraz. He wasn’t chasing down as many balls, his movement and shot selection were suspect and his usual on-court swagger was absent.

Norrie capitalized on the change in demeanor, working his way back into the match by trusting he could dig in behind the baseline. Alcaraz, who had his right thigh heavily strapped before dropping the second set, regained the lead with an early break in their decider. The Spaniard couldn’t consolidate, double-faulting at 30-30 and netting a routine forehand.

As Alcaraz tried to end points quickly with free-swinging groundstrokes and drop shots, Norrie kept his head down, staying with the top seed by extending rallies and testing the 19-year-old's physical limits. Unable to convert a break point in the ninth game, Norrie next saw a 0-40 opportunity at 5-5 wiped away by Alcaraz. But after reaching game point, Alcaraz's backhand let him down with consecutive unforced errors to drop serve.

Pushed to deuce one last time, Norrie served out the victory with an ace down the T. It marked his second biggest title behind his 2021 Indian Wells triumph and second win over Alcaraz following his quarterfinal victory at 2022 Cincinnati. He finished with 24 winners to 25 unforced errors.

Both players won 110 points during the contest.