Carlos Alcaraz is an ATP champion once again after defeating Ben Shelton in the final of the Paris Masters.

After one hour and 57 minutes in the French capital, the Spanish superstar battled past his American rival 7-6(7-5), 7-5. Alcaraz has just claimed his fifth ATP title of the 2026 season, and his ninth career title at ATP Masters 1000 level. It is, however, his first success at the Paris Masters.

Alcaraz demonstrated superb shot-making and agility on the court throughout a high-quality final, exacting revenge on Shelton, who won their US Open quarterfinal clash earlier this year. And in doing so, the Spaniard has now followed in the footsteps of only legendary duo Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

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Carlos Alcaraz matches Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal with Paris Masters title

After overcoming Shelton, Alcaraz is now just the third player in the history of the Masters series (since 1990) to claim titles in five successive years. He has emulated Djokovic and Nadal with that sensational feat.

The 23-year-old is also just behind that same pairing in another notable area after his latest triumph. He boasts a Big Title (Grand Slams, ATP Finals, ATP Masters 1000s and Olympic gold) for every 3.9 events he has played. That figure is behind only Nadal (3.5) and Djokovic (3.3).

The Serbian can, of course, still improve upon that total, while Alcaraz’s fellow Spaniard Nadal retired from the sport in 2024. And just like those two icons played out a thrilling rivalry during the prime of their careers, it seems that Alcaraz and Shelton are now doing something similar.

Carlos Alcaraz edges closer to Career Golden Masters with Paris success

The superb Paris success also brings Alcaraz one step closer to completing the Career Golden Masters. He needs to lift the trophies in Canada and Shanghai to complete the collection. The ATP superstar completed the Career Grand Slam earlier this year at the Australian Open.

While it was another demanding week for the world number three, he does have a week to recover before heading to Turin for the ATP Finals. He holds a 7-5 record at the year-end tournament, with his best result arriving last season when he finished as runner-up to Jannik Sinner.

Sinner will miss the ATP Finals this time around after ending his 2026 season because of injury, while Djokovic has failed to qualify. But a long list of high-profile players will be competing for the trophy later this month, including American ace Shelton.