Alcaraz faces Shelton in Paris Masters final
Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton will meet in the final of the Paris Masters.
Carlos Alcaraz reached his first Paris Masters final after beating Casper Ruud. He will face Ben Shelton, who defeated Luca Van Assche in the other semi-final.
Key takeaways
- Carlos Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4 in the semi-final.
- Ben Shelton beat Luca Van Assche 5-7 6-3 6-4 to reach the final.
- Alcaraz is on an eight-match winning streak.
- The final is a rematch of the US Open quarter-final.
Carlos Alcaraz will play Ben Shelton in the Paris Masters final after reaching his first showpiece at the event. BBC Sport reported that Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4 on Saturday, while Reuters said Shelton beat Luca Van Assche 5-7 6-3 6-4. The match will take place in Paris.
Why it matters
Only Shelton and Jannik Sinner have matched Alcaraz's six tour-level finals in 2026, BBC Sport reported.
Alcaraz has lost just one of the 16 matches he has contested since losing to Shelton in New York, and heads into their rematch on an eight-match winning streak after triumphing in Vienna last week.
Alcaraz has now reached the final at seven of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events. The 23-year-old Spaniard escaped two match points to beat Taylor Fritz in his quarter-final on Friday before his straight-sets win over Ruud.
Alcaraz won 86% of points on his first serve, produced 20 winners including 13 from the forehand, won 11 of 13 points at the net, and sealed each set with an ace. A single break settled both sets, and Ruud had no break-point opportunities.
Alcaraz's US Open title defence was ended by Shelton in an epic five-set quarter-final which ended at 03:34 local time in September. That tournament was Alcaraz's first following a four-month absence to deal with a wrist injury.
He has lost just one of the 16 matches he has contested since losing to Shelton in New York. It was a victory over Ruud in the 2022 US Open final which allowed Alcaraz to celebrate his maiden major and first world number one ranking.
What happens next
Alcaraz and Shelton will contest the Paris Masters final. The sources do not state the start time.
By the numbers
Alcaraz has won 28 ATP Tour singles titles, including seven majors and eight ATP Masters 1000 titles. He has been ranked world number one for 66 weeks and finished as year-end number one in 2022 and 2025.
Shelton has won seven ATP Tour singles titles, including two Masters 1000 trophies at the Canadian Open in 2025 and 2026, and is ranked world number four. His best result at the majors is reaching the final of the 2026 US Open.
Semi-final results
Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|
Carlos Alcaraz | Casper Ruud | 6-4 6-4 |
Ben Shelton | Luca Van Assche | 5-7 6-3 6-4 |
Related on Apex Sports News
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Paris Masters: Djokovic survives Vacherot scare in Bercy return
Ben Shelton beats Tommy Paul to reach Paris Masters semifinal
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