Paris had always been the one that got away. On Sunday at the Roland Garros indoor arena, Carlos Alcaraz turned that around with a 7-6 (5), 7-5 win over Ben Shelton to claim his maiden title in the French capital, and became the first champion crowned at the tournament’s new indoor home at Roland Garros.
It is the Spaniard’s ninth ATP Masters 1000 trophy, his fifth title of the 2026 season and the 29th of his career, following wins in Tokyo and Vienna in the weeks leading up to Paris.
A straight-sets scare
Alcaraz survived six break points in the opener before edging the tie-break. In the second set, Shelton broke to lead but Alcaraz struck straight back and closed out on serve.
Shelton’s delivery had made the quarter-final at the US Open in New York a late-night ordeal for Alcaraz, who lost that meeting but has now beaten the American in four of their five matches. The fifth seed in Paris, Shelton reaches the Turin finale as the world No. 4.
Read also: “I never thought i’d say this”: Jamie Redknapp names Arsenal’s biggest title challenger
‘The toughest defeats of my career I had here’
Alcaraz’s victory speech read as a release after a string of early exits at the French capital’s Masters event.
“It is something I have been chasing for a long time. Some of the toughest defeats I ever had in my career I have had here,” Alcaraz told the crowd after the match. “Finally I got my level here. I found the right path and the right way to do things.”
He also credited the week as a mental step forward, saying he had managed to stay calm across every round.
Next stop Turin
The Nitto ATP Finals start on Sunday, 15 November in Turin, with Alcaraz arriving on back-to-back indoor titles in Vienna and Paris. Shelton, who finished runner-up here after winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Toronto in 2025 and a second in Montreal earlier this year, will also be in the eight-man field at the Inalpi Arena.
Read also: Bayern Munich confirm interest in €35m German wonderkid also linked with Liverpool
Read also: Manchester United score twice in stoppage time to rescue Michael Carrick against Aston Villa
