Carlos Alcaraz avenged his US Open quarter-final defeat to Ben Shelton as he beat the American to win the Paris Masters title for the first time on Sunday. The seven-time Grand Slam champion defeated Shelton 7-6(5), 7-5 in one hour and 57 minutes to claim his ninth ATP Masters 1000 title.
In September, Shelton had defeated Alcaraz in a five-set quarter-final thriller at the US Open, handing the Spaniard a defeat in his first tournament back following a four-month layoff due to a wrist injury. Both players went toe-to-toe in the opening set, with neither managing to break the other's serve in the French capital. With a tie-break needed to decide the opener, Alcaraz stepped up to take control, sealing the 65-minute set on his second set point after Shelton sent a forehand long.
Also Read:
Shelton staged a brief comeback in the second set when he broke Alcaraz's serve midway through, but the Spaniard responded immediately to level the score at 4-4. Alcaraz then broke Shelton once again and held his serve to seal the victory and lift his maiden Paris Masters title. "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."
The Paris Masters triumph is Alcaraz's third title following his return from injury, after his victories in Tokyo and Vienna. According to the ATP Win/Loss Index, the former world No. 1 has won 19 of his 21 matches since returning from injury. With his ninth ATP Masters 1000 title, Alcaraz now needs only the Canadian Open and Shanghai Masters to complete the set of all nine titles, a feat achieved by Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
The Spaniard, who has lifted five trophies so far this season, will now shift his focus to the ATP Finals in Turin as he looks to finish the season on a high. Alcaraz enjoyed a landmark start to the year, winning the Australian Open to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz will now look to end a challenging year, which began with him winning the Australian Open to become the youngest man in history to complete the career Grand Slam, with a statement victory at the ATP Finals in Turin.
The year-end tournament will be held from November 15-22, with Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar making up the elite field in Turin.
