Carlos Alcaraz wins first Paris Masters title to claim 29th career trophy

Carlos Alcaraz ended his long wait for success at the Paris Masters by beating Ben Shelton 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the final to claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the tournament.

The Spaniard also gained revenge for his defeat by the American in the quarter-finals of the US Open, where Shelton ended Alcaraz’s run.

Alcaraz had been unable to win the Paris title in his previous appearances, but held his nerve in a closely contested final at the French capital’s tournament. His victory also ended a 13-year wait for a Spanish champion, with David Ferrer the last player from Spain to lift the trophy in 2012.

The result gives Alcaraz his fifth title of the current season and provides a significant boost ahead of the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup.

Alcaraz holds off Shelton challenge

The first set was highly competitive, with Alcaraz saving six break points while Shelton had two opportunities to break his opponent’s serve.

Neither player was able to establish control, forcing the set into a tie-break. Alcaraz produced the better tennis at the key moments and won it 7-5, helped by errors from Shelton and his own ability to remain composed under pressure.

Shelton responded strongly in the second set. He broke Alcaraz’s serve and moved into a 4-2 lead, putting the Spaniard under sustained pressure and raising the prospect of a deciding set.

Alcaraz, however, recovered his rhythm and turned the match around. He won three successive games to move from 2-4 ahead to 5-4, then completed the victory by taking the set 7-5.

The title is Alcaraz’s third since returning from a wrist injury and his second in a row, following his victory in Vienna last week.

The match carried an additional subplot because Shelton recently announced that Spanish coach Juan Carlos Ferrero will join his coaching team from 2027. Ferrero has been part of Alcaraz’s coaching set-up, adding further interest to the contest between the two players.

Alcaraz’s success in Paris is the 29th title of his professional career. It also represents a significant achievement at a tournament where his previous results had not matched his usual level.

He is now closer to completing the full set of ATP Masters 1000 titles, with only the Shanghai and Canadian tournaments absent from his collection.