'This one means a lot' - Carlos Alcaraz celebrates emotional Paris Masters victory

The World No 3 produced a hard-fought 7-6(5), 7-5 victory over the American to claim the ninth Masters 1000 title of his career, recovering from a break down in the second set to seal the win.

The triumph also avenged Alcaraz's quarter-final defeat to Shelton at the US Open in September, marking their first meeting since that encounter. It was also his first Masters 1000 title since winning the Cincinnati Open in August 2025.

Paris had previously been an unhappy hunting ground for the 23-year-old, who had managed just one quarter-final appearance in his five previous visits to the tournament.

His debut in 2021 ended in disappointment with a third-round defeat to home favourite Hugo Gaston, while he also suffered a shock second-round exit against Cameron Norrie 12 months ago.

This time, however, Alcaraz came through, saving two match points in his quarter-final against Taylor Fritz before going on to lift the trophy.

The victory means he has now won seven of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments on the calendar, with only the Canadian Open and Shanghai Masters missing from his collection.

"Well, I mean, it's something I've been chasing for a long time, to be honest," said the Spaniard.

"Probably one of the toughest losses I ever had in my career, I had here. A couple of first rounds, a couple of second rounds, not finding my best level, not feeling comfortable on this surface, on this court.

"Finally, I got my level here, I found the right path, the right way to do the things. So I'm just really proud of myself, really proud of my team, everything they've done to me, always pushing me forward.

"This one means a lot to me."

The victory extends Alcaraz's impressive run of form, with the seven-time Grand Slam champion having now won three of the four tournaments he has contested since his US Open defeat to Shelton.

The Spaniard is also riding a nine-match winning streak after claiming the ATP 500 Vienna Open title just last Sunday.

Alcaraz will now enjoy a week off before turning his attention to the ATP Finals, where he will once again be chasing a maiden title.

With World No 2 Sinner, the two-time defending champion, absent this year, Alcaraz will be the second seed behind world No 1 Alexander Zverev, who has already secured the top ranking.

However, Alcaraz will arguably start as the favourite to lift the trophy given his current form.

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