Alcaraz beats Ruud to reach first Paris final, Shelton ends Van Assche's run to set up US Open rematch

Carlos Alcaraz reached his first final at the Paris Masters on Saturday, 7 November, beating Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4. He will face Ben Shelton, who came from a set down to beat home player Luca Van Assche 5-7 6-3 6-4 in the other semi-final.

Sunday's final is a rematch of the US Open quarter-final in September, the only time Shelton has beaten the Spaniard.

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Alcaraz Faces Ruud; Shelton vs Van Assche | Paris 2026 Semi-Finals Highlights — Tennis TV · YouTube, plays on click

Alcaraz never in trouble against Ruud

A day after saving two match points against Taylor Fritz in a three-set quarter-final (our quarter-final report), the second seed produced a far calmer performance. He broke Ruud once in each set, never faced a break point and lost only nine points on serve in 86 minutes, according to the ATP's figures.

The win stretched Alcaraz's lead in his head-to-head with the Norwegian to 7-1 and extended his winning run to eight matches, following his title in Vienna last week. Paris had been a difficult stop for him until now: his previous best at the event was the quarter-finals.

"I'm really happy and proud of myself," Alcaraz said after the match, as reported by ATPTour.com and Ubitennis, adding that the tournament "has always been really tough for me."

Shelton digs deep against Van Assche

Van Assche, ranked No. 47 and playing his first Masters 1000 semi-final, took the opening set in front of a home crowd. His week had already been the best of his career: wins over Mariano Navone, 15th seed Learner Tien and Lorenzo Musetti took him to a first Masters 1000 quarter-final, where he edged qualifier Rinky Hijikata in a final-set 7-5.

Shelton, the third seed, turned the match around over two hours and 16 minutes, winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points (53 of 64). The left-hander acknowledged his opponent's level, telling the ATP: "I thought Luca was playing great."

The result carries several milestones for the 24-year-old American. It is his third Masters 1000 final and his sixth tour-level final of the season, level with Jannik Sinner for the most on Tour. According to the ATP, he is the first American to reach six finals in a season since James Blake in 2006, and the first American finalist in Paris since Jack Sock won the title in 2017.

What's next: the final on Sunday

The final is scheduled for Court Central not before 3pm local time on Sunday 8 November (2pm UK, 9am ET). Alcaraz, No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, leads No. 4 Shelton 3-1 in their head-to-head. Their only previous indoor meeting went to Alcaraz at the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin, but Shelton won the most recent one, their five-set US Open quarter-final. This will be their first meeting in a final.

"I really want to take revenge against Ben," Alcaraz said, according to Ubitennis and the ATP.

What is at stake

For Alcaraz, a nine-time Masters 1000 champion, the final is his 11th at that level, which ties him with Boris Becker and Daniil Medvedev for ninth on the all-time list, per the ATP. It is also the seventh different Masters 1000 event in which he has reached the final, and a title would be the biggest indoor trophy of his career.

Shelton has won his two Masters 1000 titles in Canada, in Toronto in 2025 and Montreal in 2026, and is chasing a first one elsewhere. Both players are already qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, where the season ends next week, so Sunday's winner arrives with a significant result behind him.