Carlos Alcaraz defeated Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 in the final of the Paris Masters on Sunday.
SRF reported the victory was the Spaniard’s first title at the indoor ATP 1000 event held at the La Défense Arena. The win comes two weeks after his triumph in Vienna.
According to SRF, Alcaraz now has 7 of 9 possible ATP 1000 titles, with only the Canadian Open and Shanghai Masters missing from his collection. This makes the victory doubly significant, as the world number three successfully avenged his bitter quarter-final exit to Shelton at the US Open and secured his first Masters title in the French capital.
Alcaraz faced intense pressure at the start of the final. SRF reported that at 1-2 in the first set, he survived three break points to hold serve. He continued to fight off adversity, fending off another break chance while making the score 2-2 and two more when Shelton led 3-4. Alcaraz also had two of his own opportunities to break Shelton’s serve during the set that he could not convert.
The set was decided by a tiebreak, described as “wild” by SRF, where most points were won on serve. Alcaraz won the set when Shelton hit a forehand wide.
Shelton, ranked fourth, finally broke through in the second set, taking a 3-2 lead. SRF noted that Alcaraz showed uncharacteristic frustration after points during this period, becoming “launisch.” However, the young Spanier quickly regained his focus, breaking back to level the game at 4-4. He then broke Shelton’s serve again at 6-5 to seal the match and the championship.
Throughout the match, Alcaraz demonstrated his resilience by saving a total of eight break points without being broken. SRF detailed that he also had two opportunities of his own to break Shelton’s serve that he could not convert. The ability to withstand early pressure in the first set and respond to Shelton’s break in the second set proved to be the turning points of the final.
With the Paris Masters title, Alcaraz continues his strong end-of-season form.
- How many ATP 1000 titles has Carlos Alcaraz won?
- Carlos Alcaraz has now won 7 of 9 possible ATP 1000 titles, with only the Canadian Open and Shanghai Masters remaining.
- Where was the Paris Masters final played?
- The final was held at the La Défense Arena in Paris, France.
- Who did Carlos Alcaraz defeat in the Paris Masters final?
- He defeated Ben Shelton of the United States in the championship match.
Earlier coverage: Carlos Alcaraz Beats Ben Shelton to Win Maiden París Masters Title
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