Carlos Alcaraz won the Paris Masters for the first time by beating Ben Shelton 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the final in the French capital, ending a long-standing struggle at the tournament.
The Spaniard also gained revenge for his quarter-final defeat by the American at the most recent US Open, dealing with the pressure more effectively to secure victory in straight sets.
Alcaraz’s success ends a 13-year wait for a Spanish winner in Paris. David Ferrer was the last player from Spain to lift the trophy, in 2012, and Alcaraz is now the first Spaniard to win the tournament since then.
The title is the 21-year-old’s third since returning from a wrist injury and his second in successive weeks, following his triumph in Vienna last week. It is also his fifth title of the current season, providing an important boost before the ATP Finals and Davis Cup.
Alcaraz holds off Shelton comeback
The opening set was closely contested, with Alcaraz forced to save six break points compared with two faced by Shelton. Neither player could establish control, sending the set to a tie-break.
Alcaraz handled the decisive moments better, taking the tie-break 7-5 after capitalising on errors from Shelton and maintaining his composure when the set was finely balanced.
Shelton responded strongly in the second set, breaking Alcaraz’s serve and moving ahead to increase the pressure on his opponent. The American led 4-2, but Alcaraz quickly recovered his rhythm and raised his level.
The Spaniard turned the match around by winning the next three games to move 5-4 ahead. Shelton stayed in contention, but Alcaraz completed the set 7-5 to finish the match without the need for a deciding set.
The victory carried added significance because Shelton has announced that Spanish coach Juan Carlos Ferrero will join his coaching team from 2027. Ferrero has previously worked with Alcaraz, giving the final an extra dimension beyond their contest on court.
Paris represents the 29th title of Alcaraz’s professional career and ends a run of disappointing results at the tournament, where his previous appearances had not matched his usual standards.
He has now won all but two of the Masters 1000 events, with Shanghai and Canada the only titles from that series still missing from his collection.
