Alcaraz beats Shelton to win first Paris Masters title

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Carlos Alcaraz won the Paris Masters for the first time on Sunday, 8 November, defeating Ben Shelton 7–6(5), 7–5 at the Plenitude Arena. The Spaniard completed the final in one hour and 57 minutes after recovering from a second-set deficit.

The victory gave Alcaraz his fifth title of 2026 and followed his success in Vienna a week earlier. It also extended his winning run to nine matches as he prepared for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin.

Shelton had opportunities to take control of the opening set, creating six break points without converting any. Neither player lost serve before the tie-break, which Alcaraz secured 7–5 after the American had led 4–3.

The second set brought another test. Shelton broke for a 3–2 lead and held to move 4–2 ahead, but Alcaraz recovered to 4–4. The Spaniard then held his remaining service games and broke again at 6–5, converting his second match point with a backhand passing shot.

Alcaraz finished with 33 winners, eight more than Shelton. Although the American led 12–6 in aces, the Spaniard yielded only one break from seven chances and turned five opportunities on Shelton’s serve into two breaks.

The result reversed their US Open quarter-final outcome, when Shelton had beaten the defending champion in five sets. Paris was Alcaraz’s first Masters 1000 title of the season, while Shelton missed the chance to add to his Canadian titles in Toronto in 2025 and Montreal this year.

Both players now turn towards the ATP Finals, which take place from 15 to 22 November. They had entered Sunday’s match as first-time Paris finalists, with Alcaraz emerging as the tournament’s new champion.

Sources

• Paris Masters: Official completed singles final result
• Tennis Majors: Alcaraz wins Paris after recovering against Shelton (2026-11-08)
• Sky Sports: Alcaraz claims fifth title of the season (2026-11-08)