Despite missing over four months of action due to a wrist injury, Carlos Alcaraz has still managed to achieve major success in the 2026 season. The Spaniard has now captured his fifth title of the year, and he has done so by defeating Ben Shelton 7-6, 7-5 in the Paris Masters final. This victory has seen Alcaraz extend his winning streak to nine matches and also join a list of greats.

The 23-year-old has now claimed 29 tour-level titles, with nine of them coming in Masters 1000 events. This is his second-biggest title victory of the season after the Australian Open. He also lifted trophies at the Qatar Open, Japan Open, and Vienna Open. The triumph in Paris has seen Alcaraz become just the third player to clinch a remarkable and unique feat.

Carlos Alcaraz created history with his victory in the French capital

Alcaraz has joined Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as the third player to win Masters 1000 titles for five consecutive seasons. The World No. 3 has moved closer to completing a Career Golden Masters, a feat his rival Jannik Sinner achieved earlier this year. Alcaraz has won every Masters 1000 title on the Tour except for the ones in Canada and Shanghai.

The victory over Shelton means that Alcaraz now has a 4-1 advantage in the H2H record. He has taken his revenge for the defeat he suffered at the hands of the American at the US Open earlier this year. While Alcaraz may have clinched the Paris Masters final in straight sets, the match wasn’t one-sided by any means.

Both players were strong on their serves throughout the first set. Neither of them was able to clinch a break, and the set went into a tiebreaker. While there was barely anything to separate the two, Alcaraz eventually got the crucial point on Shelton’s serve to gain the advantage. He won the tiebreaker 7-5 to take the lead.

The second set was also pretty tight, but this time it was Shelton who got the break. The World No. 4 led the set 4-3 at one stage, and it appeared that the match might head to a decider. But Alcaraz clawed his way back by breaking Shelton’s serve and then held his own in the next two games to take a 6-5 lead.

Shelton had the chance to take the second set to a tiebreaker, but faltered big time at the most important juncture of the match. Alcaraz got the decisive break in what proved to be the final game of the match. He clinched the final after an hour and 57 minutes to win his first Paris Masters title. The Spaniard wasted no time in running towards his parents, who were cheering him on from the stands.

Carlos Alcaraz shared an emotional moment with his parents after the match

Alcaraz was seen hugging his parents after the match. The moment highlighted how much this victory meant to all of them. It hasn’t been an easy year for Alcaraz by any means, but he has always had his parents by his side. They supported him immensely during his long injury layoff, and now he is pretty much back to his best again.

Alcaraz has played five tournaments since returning from injury and has won three of them. Additionally, he also had a key role to play in Team Europe’s triumph over Team World at the Laver Cup. The 23-year-old has a superb win-loss record of 19-2 since his return and hasn’t let the injury affect his form whatsoever.

As the post-match ceremony began, Alcaraz showed his class by sharing a heartfelt message for Shelton. He believes that the American is among the toughest players on the Tour and will only get better from here. So, their matches in the future can be even more entertaining.

Carlos Alcaraz had a special message for Ben Shelton after the final

“Obviously, today we faced one of the toughest challenges we have in tennis right now: playing against Ben Shelton,” he said after the match. “A great champion, a great player and a great person. And he’s getting better and better with every tournament.

“So going forward, facing him will be even harder. I’m very happy to have found a way to handle his serve, getting the ball into play and trying to play my own style, being myself on court. So I’m very, very happy to have finally done it. And yes, this achievement will be really special.”

Alcaraz and Shelton can come face-to-face again at the ATP Finals next week. Both of them have undoubtedly been among the best players on the Tour this season and secured their qualification a long way back.

The draw for the year-end tournament will be made on November 12. Aside from Alcaraz and Shelton, six more players will be participating in the event. This includes Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe, and Rafael Jodar.

The eight players will be divided into two groups of four, and the best two players from each group will qualify for the knockouts. None of the participants, except Zverev, Alcaraz, and Medvedev, have won the ATP Finals before, so a new winner could be crowned in the upcoming edition.