Spain's Alcaraz beats Shelton to win Paris Masters for first time
World number three Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first Paris Masters title on Sunday, defeating American Ben Shelton 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 in just under two hours. The victory avenged Alcaraz's five-set loss to Shelton at the US Open in September and earned the 23-year-old Spaniard his ninth career Masters 1000 crown. With this triumph, the seven-time Grand Slam champion remains undefeated in Paris finals, having already won two French Open titles.
The final was fiercely contested from the outset. After saving four early break points, Alcaraz edged a tense opening tie-break. Although world number four Shelton claimed the first service break midway through the second set, Alcaraz broke back to level at 4-4 and struck again in the twelfth game, sealing the championship with a flicked backhand winner before receiving the trophy from Boris Becker.
The win extends Alcaraz's streak to nine matches following a victory in Vienna, marking his fifth tour-level title this year—second only to Jannik Sinner's six. Having saved match points against Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, Alcaraz now turns to the ATP Finals in Turin (November 15–22) and the Davis Cup finals. For Shelton, it was a first defeat in a Masters final after two Canadian Open titles.
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