Cameron Norrie battled back to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, becoming the first British man to win the Masters 1000 tournament.

It appeared an upset was in the works when the hard-hitting Basilashvili quickly took the first set but Norrie regrouped in the second, breaking the Georgian at love to force a decider.

In the third set, the left-handed Norrie broke early and saved three break points to take a 3-0 lead as unforced errors began to pile up for Basilashvili under the lights in the Southern California desert.

Norrie sealed the biggest win of his career when Basilashvili sent a forehand long on championship point.

"What can I say? Obviously, I`m so happy. It`s my biggest title so I can't really describe it right now," said Norrie, who was playing in his sixth final of his breakout year.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/indian-wells-cameron-norrie-sets-up-final-against-nikoloz-basilashvili-after-beating-grigor-dimitrov-421487">Indian Wells: Cameron Norrie sets up final against Nikoloz Basilashvili after beating Grigor Dimitrov</a>

Britain's Andy Murray, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski have all played in the men`s finals at Indian Wells but finished runner-up.

The 26-year-old Norrie, born in South Africa to a Scottish father and Welsh mother, won his first ATP singles title at Mexico`s Los Cabos Open in July.

Norrie has shown steady improvement all year and expertly executed his strategy of forcing Basilashvili into long rallies in the final, giving himself the opportunity to dictate points from the baseline.

He congratulated Basilashvili on his outstanding tournament, where the 29-year-old stunned world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals and American Taylor Fritz in the semis.

"I'm sorry it went my way. You deserved it just as much as I did," Norrie said.

"Well done to you and your team on a great week."

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/us-open-stars-fall-at-indian-wells-which-struggles-to-draw-a-crowd-420743">US Open stars fall at Indian Wells, which struggles to draw a crowd</a>

Basilashvili said he was disappointed in the outcome but looked forward to returning to the event, which is sometimes referred to as the fifth major.

The tournament was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was pushed from March to October this year because of the global health crisis.

It will return to its regular March date on the sports calendar next year.

"I was hoping to get a title, but it`s okay," Basilashvili said.

"I will move on and I hope that I`ll come back here in March and play better tennis."

Norrie's breakthrough win comes on the heels of British teenager Emma Raducanu`s stunning triumph at the U.S. Open last month.

Earlier in the day, the tournament crowned its first female champion from Spain when Paula Badosa came out on the winning side of a three-set thriller against Victoria Azarenka to claim the biggest title of her career. 
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Cameron Norrie battled back to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, becoming the first British man to win the Masters 1000 tournament.

Cameron Norrie battled back to defeat Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6 6-4 6-1 in the Indian Wells final on Sunday, becoming the first British man to win the Masters 1000 tournament. It appeared an upset was in the works when the hard-hitting Basilashvili quickly took the first set but Norrie regrouped in the second, breaking the Georgian at love to force a decider. In the third set, the left-handed Norrie broke early and saved three break points to take a 3-0 lead as unforced errors began to pile up for Basilashvili under the lights in the Southern California desert. Norrie sealed the biggest win of his career when Basilashvili sent a forehand long on championship point. "What can I say? Obviously, I`m so happy. It`s my biggest title so I can't really describe it right now," said Norrie, who was playing in his sixth final of his breakout year. ALSO READ: Indian Wells: Cameron Norrie sets up final against Nikoloz Basilashvili after beating Grigor Dimitrov Britain's Andy Murray, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski have all played in the men`s finals at Indian Wells but finished runner-up. The 26-year-old Norrie, born in South Africa to a Scottish father and Welsh mother, won his first ATP singles title at Mexico`s Los Cabos Open in July. Norrie has shown steady improvement all year and expertly executed his strategy of forcing Basilashvili into long rallies in the final, giving himself the opportunity to dictate points from the baseline. He congratulated Basilashvili on his outstanding tournament, where the 29-year-old stunned world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals and American Taylor Fritz in the semis. "I'm sorry it went my way. You deserved it just as much as I did," Norrie said. "Well done to you and your team on a great week." ALSO READ: US Open stars fall at Indian Wells, which struggles to draw a crowd Basilashvili said he was disappointed in the outcome but looked forward to returning to the event, which is sometimes referred to as the fifth major. The tournament was not held last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was pushed from March to October this year because of the global health crisis. It will return to its regular March date on the sports calendar next year. "I was hoping to get a title, but it`s okay," Basilashvili said. "I will move on and I hope that I`ll come back here in March and play better tennis." Norrie's breakthrough win comes on the heels of British teenager Emma Raducanu`s stunning triumph at the U.S. Open last month. Earlier in the day, the tournament crowned its first female champion from Spain when Paula Badosa came out on the winning side of a three-set thriller against Victoria Azarenka to claim the biggest title of her career.

Indian Wells: British breakthrough as Cameron Norrie wins Indian Wells title

Top-seed Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Thursday had to sweat more than expected to defeat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking a place in the semifinal of the Qatar Open, a tuning-up event for the Australian Open.&nbsp;

For the second time in a row, Djokovic, a two-time Qatar Open champion, found himself trailing by a set, but his timely reaction kept his bid for his 73rd ATP title alive.

"I thought Basilashvili was playing terrific from the beginning. I expected him to. I knew that he's playing probably the tennis of his life in the past 10 months, and he's definitely one of the greatest hitters in the game," Djokovic said after the nearly two-hour game.

Basilashvili gave a glance of the tennis that led him to win his maiden ATP title in 2018 as he grabbed a 4-1 lead and went on to clinch the set a few games later, despite conceding his delivery once.

The second set was a new start for the Serbian 14-time Grand Slam champion as he turned up the heat by breaking his opponent's first serve and managing to maintain the lead until the end of the set, although he had to save a break point while serving for the set.

It seemed like Basilashvili crumbled under pressure in a third seesaw set in which both players swapped service breaks at the beginning, but then Djokovic outpaced his opponent with a break in the fifth game that proved to be decisive.

Djokovic is scheduled to take on Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, the seventh seed, who saw off Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.

Top-seed Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Thursday had to sweat more than expected to defeat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking a place in the semifinal of the Qatar Open, a tuning-up event for the Australian Open.

Top-seed Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Thursday had to sweat more than expected to defeat Georgia's Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking a place in the semifinal of the Qatar Open, a tuning-up event for the Australian Open. For the second time in a row, Djokovic, a two-time Qatar Open champion, found himself trailing by a set, but his timely reaction kept his bid for his 73rd ATP title alive. "I thought Basilashvili was playing terrific from the beginning. I expected him to. I knew that he's playing probably the tennis of his life in the past 10 months, and he's definitely one of the greatest hitters in the game," Djokovic said after the nearly two-hour game. Basilashvili gave a glance of the tennis that led him to win his maiden ATP title in 2018 as he grabbed a 4-1 lead and went on to clinch the set a few games later, despite conceding his delivery once. The second set was a new start for the Serbian 14-time Grand Slam champion as he turned up the heat by breaking his opponent's first serve and managing to maintain the lead until the end of the set, although he had to save a break point while serving for the set. It seemed like Basilashvili crumbled under pressure in a third seesaw set in which both players swapped service breaks at the beginning, but then Djokovic outpaced his opponent with a break in the fifth game that proved to be decisive. Djokovic is scheduled to take on Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, the seventh seed, who saw off Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day.

Novak Djokovic battles past Basilashvili to face Bautista Agut in Qatar Open semis

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