Alcaraz beats Shelton to win first Paris Masters title

Carlos Alcaraz beat Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 to win the Paris Masters for the first time, extending his recent run of form after returning from a wrist injury.

The Spaniard saved all six break points he faced in the opening set and won the tie-break after recovering from 4-3 down. Shelton broke serve in the second set, but Alcaraz responded while Shelton was serving for a 5-3 lead, then won five of the final six games to close out the match.

The victory was Alcaraz’s third title in the two months since his comeback ended in a US Open quarter-final defeat by Shelton. He has won 16 of his 17 matches in that period, according to BBC Sport.

It was the 23-year-old’s ninth ATP Masters 1000 title. He has now won seven of the nine tournaments in the series; only the Canadian Open and Shanghai Masters remain for him to complete the set. Alcaraz said the Paris title was one he had “been chasing for a long time”.

Shelton, the world number four, has won four titles this year and reached his first major final. Alcaraz will next compete at the ATP Finals in Turin, where he will arrive on a nine-match winning streak.