Carlos Alcaraz beats Ben Shelton to win Paris Masters tennis title

Carlos Alcaraz has gained a measure of revenge on Ben Shelton as the seven-time Grand Slam champion beat the American 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 to win the Paris Masters for the first time. In defeating the man who ended his US Open title defence earlier this season, the 23-year-old claimed the ninth 1000-level title of his career on Sunday.

“Coming here every year, not finding my best tennis but we never gave up,” Alcaraz said after being handed the trophy for the first time by former Paris Masters winner Boris Becker. Ahead of the ATP Finals, which run from November 15-22 in Turin, world number three Alcaraz now holds five tour-level titles this year – only the injured Jannik Sinner has more with six.

For world number four Shelton, it was a first defeat in a Masters final after winning his two previous appearances in showpiece matches at that level – both coming in the last two editions of the Canadian Open.