Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first Paris Masters title by defeating Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 in the final held on Sunday. The victory was particularly significant as Alcaraz avenged a defeat inflicted by Shelton 60 days earlier, when the American ended his return to the court after a four-month injury layoff due to a wrist problem.
After returning to the tour, Alcaraz reached the US Open quarter-finals in September, where he lost to Shelton in five sets. However, over the next two months, he posted an impressive run of 17 matches with 16 wins, securing three titles before defeating the world number four in Paris.
In the final, Alcaraz displayed exceptional resilience, saving all six break points in the first set and winning the tie-break after taking four of the last five points. Although Shelton managed to break serve in the second set and threatened several times, Alcaraz reversed the momentum to win five of the last six games for the final triumph. This marked his ninth ATP Masters 1000 title overall, and the seventh of the nine such tournaments he has won in his career.
Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open earlier this year, and entered the ATP Finals in Turin with a streak of nine consecutive wins. Before Paris, he also won the title in Vienna, and two days before the final, he saved two match points against Taylor Fritz, making it the fourth time in his career he has won a title after being on the brink of defeat.
In men's doubles, Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara finished the year as world number one, their first such ranking in their careers. The pair, formed in 2024, reached the top of the ATP rankings after two years of hard work. During 2026, they won titles in Adelaide, Doha, Dubai and Madrid, and also claimed the Wimbledon doubles title.
Patten and Heliovaara reached the semi-finals in Paris, securing their place at the ATP Finals. Heliovaara described reaching number one as a dream come true, while Patten and Heliovaara jointly ended the year as the world's best men's doubles team.
Alcaraz now aims to win the Canadian and Shanghai Masters to complete the set of all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles, while Patten and Heliovaara continue to dominate in the doubles competition.
