Alcaraz finally conquers Paris to join Djokovic and Nadal in Masters 1000 history
Second seed Carlos Alcaraz ended his long wait for a Paris title on Sunday, beating third seed Ben Shelton 7-6 (5), 7-5 at an event he says has always been tough for him. The 23-year-old becomes only the third man, after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, to win Masters 1000 titles in five consecutive years.
Carlos Alcaraz, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Chryslene Caillaud/Psnewz / Chryslene Caillaud / Psnewz
Carlos Alcaraz had never lifted the trophy in Paris until Sunday. Spain’s Alcaraz, the second seed, beat third seed Ben Shelton of the United States 7-6 (5), 7-5 in 1 hour 59 minutes to win the Paris Masters 1000. The title makes the 23-year-old only the third man to win Masters 1000 titles in five consecutive years, after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
He has now won titles at seven of the nine Masters 1000 events.
Trailing 2-1, he saved four break points in a single game, and he saved two more at 4-3 down to level at 4-4. The American struck first in the second set, breaking for 3-2 and holding to love for 4-2. Alcaraz broke back to level at 4-4, then broke again with Shelton serving at 5-6, converting his second match point. Alcaraz saved six of the seven break points he faced, while Shelton saved three of five. On a day of fine margins, that proved decisive. Shelton served 12 aces to Alcaraz’s six, but the Spaniard hit 33 winners to 25, against 27 unforced errors to Shelton’s 26.
“This tournament has always been really tough for me. I’ve struggled every time,” Alcaraz said on court this week. “The speed of the court does not suit my game but I try my best to adapt the best I can,” he said during the tournament. His record at the event now stands at 8-5. Shelton had praised his opponent during the week, saying Alcaraz’s results spoke for themselves after his title in Vienna and that he played excellent, very spectacular tennis indoors.
Alcaraz and Shelton came into the final ranked third and fourth in the world. Alcaraz started the day third in the Race to Turin with 5,750 points, and victory in the final was worth another 350.
Alcaraz came into the final on an eight-match winning streak, having won Vienna the previous week with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Alex de Minaur in the final. He saved two match points to beat American Taylor Fritz 6-7 (10), 7-5, 6-3 in 2 hours 45 minutes in the quarter-finals. “I tried to stay strong mentally,” Alcaraz said after that match, which he described as one of the most special of his career. He then beat Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in his first semi-final at the event. That run made him only the fifth player in history to reach the final at all four Masters 1000 events played in Europe.
Shelton, 24, was chasing a third Masters 1000 title after Toronto in 2025 and Montreal this year. Victory would have made him the first American to win multiple Masters 1000 titles in a season since Andy Roddick in 2003. He also missed the chance to become the first man to beat Alcaraz more than once this season, after his 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) win in their US Open quarter-final. His run, capped by a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 comeback against France’s Luca Van Assche in the semi-finals, made him the first American in the Paris final since Jack Sock in 2017. His previous final, at the US Open, had also ended in defeat, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 to Alexander Zverev.
Both men now head to the ATP Finals in Turin, where Alcaraz has qualified for the fifth consecutive year and Shelton has also booked his place. Alcaraz will get there with Paris, at last, crossed off his list.
Alcaraz’s path to the title
Second round: d. Alex Michelsen 7-6 (4), 6-3
Third round: d. Matteo Berrettini w/o
Quarter-final: d. Taylor Fritz (11) 6-7 (10), 7-5, 6-3
Semi-final: d. Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4
Final: d. Ben Shelton (3) 7-6 (5), 7-5
Shelton’s path to the final
Second round: d. Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4
Third round: d. Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Quarter-final: d. Tommy Paul (12) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Semi-final: d. Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Final: lost to Carlos Alcaraz (2) 7-6 (5), 7-5
