Alcaraz wins first Paris Masters title with gritty win over Shelton

Carlos Alcaraz won his first Paris Masters title on Sunday, beating world number four Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, according to BBC Tennis.

The victory gave the Spaniard his first Masters 1,000 trophy of the season and made it back-to-back titles after his triumph in Vienna the previous week, Yahoo Sports reported.

It was also Alcaraz's first title at the top level of the ATP Tour in more than a year, and a particularly meaningful one given his past struggles at the French capital event.

The match itself was far from one-way traffic. Alcaraz had to survive heavy pressure on his own serve before edging the opening set in a tie-break, and Shelton then broke to move 4-2 ahead in the second.

Alcaraz responded by winning five of the next six games to close out the match and the title.

The result also carried a measure of revenge, coming two months after Shelton beat Alcaraz in an epic US Open quarter-final, the American's first tournament back from a four-and-a-half-month absence through a wrist injury.

Speaking to his team at the presentation ceremony, Alcaraz reflected on his difficult history in Paris. "This is something that we've been chasing for a really long time," he said. "Not finding the great feeling coming here every year, not finding my great tennis, but we never give up. I had really painful losses here but we tried and tried again and finally we felt really comfortable coming here."

Shelton was generous in defeat, pointing to the physical toll of back-to-back weeks on contrasting surfaces. "I don't think that everybody realizes how difficult it is go back-to-back in Vienna and Paris. Ten matches in 14 days, going from a slow court to a very fast court," he said, before adding: "I think it speaks to your versatility as a champion and the work that you and your team put in. Every time we're on the court together I feel you bring out the best in me. I'm super happy to have you back and healthy."

The weekend also carried a notable subplot involving Juan Carlos Ferrero, who coached Alcaraz from the age of 15 and guided him to six Grand Slam titles and the world number one ranking before their split 11 months ago, Tennis365 reported.

Ferrero is now preparing to join Shelton's team ahead of the 2027 season, and told Marca he had already begun assisting the American during the Paris week, working alongside Shelton's father and coach, Bryan, even though his formal role does not begin until next month.

"Yes, obviously I'd already switched gears," Ferrero said. "On a professional level, during the week in Paris I helped Ben with some games, along with Bryan, to prepare certain things."

He added that his focus had already shifted towards his new charge. "When you know you're going to be working with someone professionally, you go with that in mind. It's not like I'm going against the other person. You're going with the person you're going to be working with all next year."

Ferrero also suggested Shelton lacked conviction in the moments that mattered against his former pupil, noting the American needed to be more decisive when chances arose during the final.

Attention now turns to the closing stages of the ATP season, with Alcaraz arriving in form after successive titles in Vienna and Paris, while Shelton heads into his new partnership with Ferrero ahead of the 2027 campaign.