Carlos Alcaraz has won the Paris Masters for the first time, beating Ben Shelton 7-6(5), 7-5 in Sunday’s final to claim his ninth ATP Masters 1000 title.
The Spaniard gained revenge for his five-set loss to Shelton in the US Open quarter-finals in September, which was his first tournament back from a four-month wrist injury layoff, the ATP Tour reported.
Alcaraz saved four break points to hold serve from 0-40 at 1-2 in the opening set and won the first-set tie-break on his second set point. Shelton broke midway through the second set, but Alcaraz broke back to level at 4-4 and sealed victory on his second match point after one hour and 57 minutes.
The win improved Alcaraz’s head-to-head record against Shelton to 4-1 and was his 42nd win of the season.
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‘This one means a lot to me’
“It is something I have been chasing for a long time,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “Some of the toughest defeats I ever had in my career I have had here. Finally I got my level here. I found the right path and the right way to do things. I am really proud of myself and the team. The way they have pushed me forward. This one means a lot to me.”
“Today was one of the toughest challenges we have in tennis, facing Ben Shelton,” he added.
Joins Djokovic and Nadal
Alcaraz is just the third player since 1990 to win Masters 1000 titles in five consecutive years, joining Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and the second Spanish champion in Paris after David Ferrer in 2012, according to the ATP.
He heads to the ATP Finals in Turin from 15 to 22 November having won 19 of his 21 matches since returning from injury. Shelton, who will link with Alcaraz’s former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero next season, will also play in Turin.
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