Carlos Alcaraz avenged his loss to Ben Shelton in the US Open last eight as he edged the American 7-6 (5), 7-5 to win the Paris Masters on Sunday, clinching his ninth ATP 1000 title.
The world No 3 controlled the contest from the baseline to become the first Spaniard to win the tournament since David Ferrer in 2012, while Shelton was left frustrated by an erratic forehand.
“Today, it was one of the toughest challenges we have in tennis right now, facing Ben Shelton,” said Alcaraz, whose US Open title defence was derailed by the eventual finalist Shelton in a four-and-a-half-hour thriller in September. “He is doing better and better with every tournament so it’s going to be even tougher facing him. So I’m just really happy that I found the way.“
The first set remained deadlocked until the tie-break, where Shelton overshot the baseline three times on his forehand, allowing the Spaniard to take the set. The world No 4 capitalised on two double faults and wayward topspins from Alcaraz to go 3-2 up in the second, and extended the lead with two aces in the following game.
But Alcaraz fought back with a break of his own to make it 4-4, landing two cross-court winners as Shelton netted a forehand and went long with another. With Alcaraz leading 6-5, Shelton stumbled again while serving to stay in the match, overshooting two forehands before the seven-times grand slam winner clinched victory with a perfectly timed backhand down the line.
“It’s something I’ve been chasing for a long time,” Alcaraz said after finally winning the Paris Masters on his sixth attempt.
The Australian Open champion has now won three titles since the heartbreak at Flushing Meadows as he looks to end the year on a bright note at the ATP Finals starting next Sunday, followed by the Davis Cup finals later this month.
