👋 Welcome back to The Daily Theory, our morning rundown to help you stay on top of your favorite sport. I’m Allen McDuffee, your guide to all things tennis.

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Programming note: Things are a little behind schedule after some late-night travel as I returned from the Charlottesville Challenger. (Watch for a couple of stories coming up on that.) Also: send coffee.

Today’s tennis mood rating: Bewilderment with a strong curiosity streak.

Let’s tennis!

Three Points

🎾 Alcaraz out: In something of a shocking result, Cameron Norrie defeated Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Masters on Tuesday, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Although Norrie has taken Alcaraz down on two other occasions — both on clay — it was never while Alcaraz was in such a dominant period in his career. It was a baffling performance with an astonishing number of unforced errors from Alcaraz at 50.

  • What he said: “Massive. So big for me,” said Norrie, who becomes the fifth British man in history to defeat a world No. 1. “Coming back from injury last year, I lost in the first round of qualies here. I just tried to enjoy my tennis in the second half of the year. To get a win like this, it’s the biggest win of my career, my first win over the world No. 1 and probably the most confident player in the world right now.”
  • And what he said: “I came here really well. I came here with a lot of energy. I came here thinking that I could do good results because I have been playing really good tennis,” said Alcaraz, who is now 5-5 in Paris. “This is the best year for me in terms of playing at the end of the year. So I've been talking with some other players, with my team, that I feel great.” He continued: “Other years I felt exhausted, I felt tired, I felt mentally, physically. But this year I feel good. I skipped Shanghai. I have been at home [for some] days so I could enjoy myself there and relax, help the battery, so I don't know what happened here. It is a tournament that is really difficult for me to play well, but I will figure it out, and I will end up playing great tennis here, for sure.”
  • Next: Norrie faces Valentin Vacherot, and Alcaraz says he will return home to prepare for the ATP Tour Finals in Turin.

🎾 The WTA’s new chairwoman: The WTA announced on Tuesday the appointment of Valerie Camillo as the organization’s new chairwoman. She replaces Steve Simon, who has led the WTA Tour in different capacities since 2015 and will depart after the transition.

  • What she said: “The WTA has long been a force for progress, pushing boundaries for athletes and fans alike. Women’s tennis isn’t just watched — it’s lived and loved by people around the world. Together, we’ll continue to grow this extraordinary sport and ensure it leads the way for women everywhere,” Camillo said in a statement. “This is a critical moment for women’s tennis, with important decisions ahead that will shape the future for our players, tournaments, fans, and partners.”
  • Noteworthy: Camillo took up tennis about a decade ago, but her professional experience is in the NBA, NHL, MLB, and college sports. It’s a continuation of a recent trend for the WTA in bringing in top hires from outside tennis.
  • Hit deeper: For The Athletic, Matt Futterman talked with Camillo about her vision for the direction of the WTA.

🎾 Coming up in Riyadh: The WTA hosted the draw for the WTA Tour Finals groups on Tuesday, revealing which players will face each other in the round-robin stage of the tournament, when play begins on Saturday.

Singles:

  • Stefanie Graf Group: [1] Aryna Sabalenka, [3] Coco Gauff, [5] Jessica Pegula, [8] Jasmine Paolini
  • Serena Williams Group: [2] Iga Swiatek, [4] Amanda Anisimova, [6] Elena Rybakina, [7] Madison Keys

Doubles:

  • Martina Navratilova Group: [1] Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, [4] Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens, [6] Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko, [8] Asia Muhammad & Demi Schuurs
  • Liezel Huber Group: [2] Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, [3] Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, [5] Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, [7] Timea Babos and Luisa Stefani