Carlos Alcaraz defeated Ben Shelton 7-6(5), 7-5 to win his maiden Rolex Paris Masters title. This is the Spaniard’s ninth ATP Masters 1000 title on the tour.
Earlier in the season, Shelton had beaten Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set contest in the quarterfinal of the US Open. Alcaraz was making a comeback from a wrist injury in the New York Major.
After the US Open, Alcaraz was able to win titles in Tokyo and Vienna. Alcaraz admitted he had faced some of the difficult losses of his career in the Paris Masters and was delighted to finally add the missing trophy to his glittering cabinet.
“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 youngster admitted that facing Ben Shelton is one of the toughest challenges on the tour.
“Today was one of the toughest challenges we have in tennis, facing Ben Shelton,” Alcaraz added. “He is a great player, person, champion and he is doing better and better every tournament. I am just really happy I found a way. Putting his serves into play and trying to be myself on court. I am really happy I finally got it and this one is going to be really special.”
According to ATP tour, Alcaraz has now won seven of the nine Masters 1000 titles and is just the third player in series history (since 1990) to clinch Masters 1000 crowns in five consecutive years, joining Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz is the second Spanish champion in the tournament’s 40-year history, joining David Ferrer, who lifted the trophy in 2012.
