Carlos Alcaraz has reached his first Paris Masters final after beating Casper Ruud in straight sets to set up a title clash with American Ben Shelton.
The world number three defeated the Norwegian 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 27 minutes on Saturday, November 7, to book his place in Sunday’s final.
Alcaraz was dominant on serve, winning all 10 of his service games without facing a single break point. He secured one break in each set, taking control at 3-3 in the opener before breaking again at 4-4 in the second.
The Spaniard sealed the win with an ace on his second match point to reach his first final in Paris. The victory also makes Alcaraz the first Spaniard to reach the Paris Masters final since David Ferrer in 2013.
He will face Shelton, who fought back from a set down to beat Frenchman Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
The final will be their first meeting since Shelton defeated Alcaraz in a dramatic US Open quarter-final in September.
The American won 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 after four hours and 28 minutes in a match that ended at 3:33 am local time, the latest finish in US Open history. The defeat also ended Alcaraz’s 18-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments.
Shelton hit eight aces and 34 winners, while Alcaraz recorded three aces and 38 winners. The American also converted five of his 16 break points, compared to Alcaraz’s three from 11.
Despite that defeat, Alcaraz leads their career head-to-head 3-1, having beaten Shelton at the 2023 Canadian Open, 2024 Laver Cup and 2025 French Open.
Shelton’s US Open victory remains his only win against the Spaniard. The American will be chasing his third ATP Masters 1000 title, while Alcaraz is targeting his first Paris Masters crown and first Masters 1000 title of the season. Sunday’s final will give Alcaraz the chance to avenge his US Open defeat and claim his first title in Paris.
