In a matchup that might be seen more and more by tennis fans, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton faced each other for the Paris Masters crown. Alcaraz was favored, of course, because the Spaniard almost always is, but Shelton had some confidence against the Spaniard. He had defeated him at the US Open.
Still, an Alcaraz near-top form is just better than everyone else, even on an indoor hard-court surface that hasn't been his best during his career. The Spaniard likes to be outside with a loud crowd that he can feed off of. The Paris audience was appreciative, but nothing like New York or London.
Just as with most matches, Alcaraz's variety and magical shot-making would be facing an opponent with a huge serve and bombastic groundstrokes. Shelton does offer a bit better touch than many of his contemporaries, but nowhere near as much as Alcaraz. No one does.
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Ben Shelton to win the Paris Masters
The Spaniard also has the ability to not play well for a couple of games in a row but continue to be in a position to win a match. That happened in the second set after Alcaraz had won the first set in a tiebreak, 7-5.
Shelton got a break midway through the second set, led 4-2, but it wouldn't last. In fact, Shelton would only win one more game, as the Spaniard took the second set 7-5 through a brilliant succession of angled shots that no one else could even attempt.
The American had no reason to be upset about the loss: He was simply beaten by a generational talent. Shelton might still get his victories against the Spaniard in the future, but two things would need to happen at the same time. That is, Alcaraz would not be in top form, and Shelton would need to play at his best.
The win was Carlos Alcaraz's first at the Paris Masters, and that means he has now won seven of the nine Masters events. The only two he hasn't won yet are the Canadian Open and the Shanghai Masters. Seemingly, it's only a matter of time before he wins those too.
The year has been a frustrating one overall, as Alcaraz injured himself badly at the Barcelona Open and missed the next four months. Had he stayed healthy, he would have likely finished 2026 as the ATP No. 1, not Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz has won three tournaments since his US Open loss, though, and he could make it four by winning the ATP Finals later in November.
Add us as a preferred source on Google