Carlos Alcaraz (No. 2) beats Ben Shelton (No. 3) 7-6(5), 7-5 in the final of the Paris Masters on Sunday 8 November 2026, in 1hr 57min. The Spaniard wins the tournament for the first time, a week after his title in Vienna, and avenges his US Open quarter-final defeat to the American.
The day before: Shelton ends Van Assche's run, Alcaraz - Shelton in the final.
How did Carlos Alcaraz beat Ben Shelton?
By saving six break points in the first set. Shelton hits five aces in the first five games and dictates the rallies: Alcaraz saves three break points at 1-2, a fourth with a forehand winner, then two more at 4-4.
In the tie-break, Alcaraz leads 3-1, Shelton goes ahead 4-3, then the Spaniard wins three points in a row to lead 6-4. On his first set point, his backhand clips the net cord and drops back on his side; on the second, Shelton misses one last forehand. Alcaraz takes it 7-5.
In the second set, at 2-2, two double faults and an unforced error on break point hand Shelton the first break of the match. The American consolidates to love, 4-2. Alcaraz holds for 3-4, breaks back at 4-4 when Shelton sends a forehand long, then leads 6-5. He earns two match points at 15-40 on Shelton's serve and converts the second with a backhand passing shot.
Shelton hits 12 aces to 6. But Alcaraz has 33 winners to 25, saves six of the seven break points he faces and converts two of five. "If you miss your chance, it's likely that another isn't going to come," says the American. Alcaraz now leads their head-to-head 4-1.
What does this title mean for Carlos Alcaraz?
It is his first title in Paris, a tournament where he had never gone past the quarter-finals and which Rafael Nadal never won. It is his first Masters 1000 of the season, the tenth of his career, and his fifth title of the year, after the Australian Open, Doha, Tokyo and Vienna.
He is coming back from a wrist injury that kept him off the tour for four and a half months, including Roland-Garros and Wimbledon. "These last two weeks have probably been the best that I've played since my comeback," he says.
What comes next for Alcaraz and Shelton?
The ATP Finals in Turin, from 15 to 22 November, where both players are qualified, as is Arthur Fils. Alcaraz, the 2025 runner-up, has never won the event; he is chasing a third indoor title in a row, the Vienna, Paris, Turin run that Jannik Sinner completed in 2025.
Shelton plays his sixth final of the season in Paris and misses out on a third Masters 1000 title, after Toronto in 2025 and Montreal this year.