Paris could not resist him: after an injury-hit season, Alcaraz does not let his chance to win a Masters 1000 slip in Paris
Carlos Alcaraz has his first Masters 1000 title of the season. Six break points saved in the first set, a tie-break won from 4-3 down, then an early break conceded in the second and recovered straight away: he came through every twist of Sunday’s final against Ben Shelton. A week after Vienna, the Spaniard ends years of struggle at Paris-La Défense and heads to Turin with back-to-back indoor titles.
Carlos Alcaraz, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 winner | © AP Photo/Emma Da Silva
Carlos Alcaraz won his first Masters 1000 title of the season on Sunday, and his first at the Rolex Paris Masters. The second seed beat Ben Shelton 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the final (1h57), sealing it with a backhand passing shot on his second match point, and avenged his US Open quarter-final defeat along the way.
A wrist injury kept the Spaniard off the tour for four and a half months this season, causing him to miss Roland-Garros and Wimbledon before his return at the US Open. In Paris, he did not let slip his chance to win a Masters 1000, after falling short in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Shanghai.
As in last year’s final, won by Jannik Sinner against Félix Auger-Aliassime, the challenger put up fine resistance, but the favourite made his slight edge count in the important moments. A week after his title in Vienna, Alcaraz wins a tournament in the same way, where he had never gone past the quarter-finals before this week.
For most of the first set, it was Shelton’s match. Alcaraz was erratic on the forehand, with six unforced errors in his first 24 points, and had to save three break points at 1-2, then a fourth with a forehand winner. After five games, the American had already served five aces, won 73 per cent of his first-serve points and not faced a single break point, while the Spaniard had lost 19 of the 34 points played.
Then it was Shelton’s turn to trail 0-40 on serve. He got out of it with four stunning winners in a row. These break points brought out the best in both players: when it came to defending their serve, both men bared their teeth like big cats guarding their territory. Alcaraz saved two more at 4-4, six in the set, and the numbers evened out. By 5-4, both men were winning 67 per cent of their first-serve points, and only two points separated them.
From there, Alcaraz really got into his match. He held to love at 5-5, pushed Shelton in the rallies on the next game without breaking him, then held to love again at 6-6. Between 5-4 and the tie-break, he won 10 of the 14 points played, moved ahead on winners and was winning 79 per cent of the points behind his first serve.
A tie-break that swung both ways
Alcaraz led 3-1, but a fine attack from Shelton and a backhand error from the Spaniard made it 3-3. Alcaraz then built a good attack of his own, only to send a forehand drive volley long: 4-3 Shelton, who had a great chance to earn three set points. Under pressure in the next rally, Alcaraz found a forehand winner to level at 4-4.
Shelton followed his serve with a forehand attack that went long, and a leaping two-handed backhand volley, hit in mid-air, gave Alcaraz two set points at 6-4. On the first, his backhand clipped the net cord, hung there and dropped back on his side. On the second, Shelton stepped up on the forehand but missed one last forehand. After 66 minutes, Alcaraz had the set, with 21 winners to 14 and all six break points saved.
From a break down to the title
Alcaraz had a lapse at 2-2 in the second set. Two double faults and an unforced error on break point at 30-40 handed Shelton the first break of the match. After saving the first six break points he faced, the Spaniard fell on the seventh. The American consolidated to love for 4-2. Frustrated, Alcaraz nevertheless stayed in the match.
The reaction came straight away. Alcaraz held for 3-4 and stepped up the pace. Shelton sensed it and came forward, but got passed twice and fell 15-40 behind. At the end of a forehand exchange, it was the American who sent his long: 4-4.
From there, Alcaraz played looser and faster. He held for 5-4, Shelton held for 5-5, and the Spaniard held again for 6-5. On Shelton’s serve, he earned two match points at 15-40. The American saved the first, but Alcaraz converted the second with a backhand passing shot.
Shelton served 12 aces to Alcaraz’s six, but the Spaniard won the battle from the back of the court and at the net. He hit 33 winners to 25, won 71 per cent of his first-serve points against 63 per cent for Shelton, won 10 of his 13 points at the net and took 54 per cent of the points overall. He saved six of the seven break points he faced and converted two of five.
Alcaraz now leads their head-to-head 4-1.
It is Alcaraz’s fifth title of the season, after the Australian Open, Doha, Tokyo and Vienna. He is unbeaten since Shanghai and heads to the ATP Finals in Turin, where Shelton will also play, with back-to-back indoor titles, aiming to complete the same “hat-trick” as Sinner in 2025.
Shelton, who beat Cameron Norrie, Arthur Rinderknech, Tommy Paul and Luca Van Assche to reach his sixth final of the season, misses out on a third Masters 1000 title after Toronto in 2025 and Montreal this year.
Rolex Paris Masters 2026 final result
Carlos Alcaraz (2) d. Ben Shelton (3) 7-6 (5), 7-5
