Alcaraz saves six break points, beats Shelton and finally wins Paris, two months after the US Open loss that ended at 3.33am

Carlos Alcaraz has finally conquered the one big indoor title that had eluded him, beating Ben Shelton 7-6 (5), 7-5 in the Paris Masters final on Sunday and turning the page on the most painful defeat of his year.

The 23-year-old Spaniard, seeded second, won on his second match point. It is his 29th career title, his fifth of 2026 and his ninth at Masters 1000 level, the tier just below the Grand Slams. The seven-time major champion had never won this tournament before.

“It is something I have been chasing for a long time,” Alcaraz said.

How did Shelton lose a final he had chances in?

On the big points. The 24-year-old American, seeded third, hit 12 aces to Alcaraz’s six and created six break points in the first set. He took none of them, and Alcaraz edged the tiebreak 7-5.

In the second set Shelton finally broke to lead 4-2. Alcaraz broke back, then broke again to close out the match. “The window is small,” Shelton said of his missed chances.

Why does this one matter to Alcaraz?

Because of September. Shelton beat Alcaraz in a US Open quarter-final that lasted four hours and 28 minutes and finished at 3.33am, one of the longest and latest matches of the year. Shelton went on to reach the final, where he lost to Alexander Zverev.

Alcaraz has now beaten Shelton in four of their five meetings, and the scoreline here says something about where his game is after injury. He missed more than four months with a right wrist problem and has come back to win every final he has played: the Japan Open last month, Vienna last Sunday without dropping a set, and now Paris. He saved two match points against Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals on the way.

He said he had taken “one step forward mentally” during the week.

What about the Ferrero subplot?

Shelton recently added Juan Carlos Ferrero to his coaching staff. Ferrero coached Alcaraz from his teens through his first Grand Slam titles before the pair split at the end of 2025. On Sunday, the old student beat the new one.

There was no sign of bad blood: Alcaraz walked around the net to hug Shelton at the end.

What does it mean for Turin?

Both men are qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, the eight-man season finale that starts next Sunday. Alcaraz arrives with two straight titles and three wins from three finals since his injury, and Shelton arrives as the man who has come closest to stopping him lately.

For Australian viewers, Turin is ten hours behind Sydney and Melbourne and seven behind Perth, so most sessions will land overnight or early in the morning.