Alcaraz reaches Paris final for Shelton rematch — SkimNews
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- Alcaraz beat Ruud 6-4, 6-4 over 86 minutes to reach his first Paris Masters final, breaking the Norwegian once in each set and sealing both with an ace.
- Alcaraz escaped two match points in Friday's quarter-final comeback against Fritz and has lost just one of the 16 matches he has contested since losing to Shelton in New York.
- Alcaraz won 86% of his first-serve points, hit 20 winners including 13 forehands, and won 11 of 13 points at the net against Ruud.
- Shelton rallied to beat van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, becoming the first American men's singles finalist at the Paris Masters since 2017.
- Shelton carries a career-best 45 wins and a 3-1 record over Alcaraz into the final, after his September US Open five-set win delivered his first career victory over a top-three player.
- Ferrero recently joined Shelton's team as Alcaraz's former coach, creating a direct coaching connection to the Paris rematch.
- Alcaraz has reached the final at seven of nine ATP Masters 1000 events, while only Shelton and Sinner have matched his six tour-level finals in 2026.
Why it matters: Shelton's US Open win changed the baseline: Alcaraz has since lost just one of 16 matches and arrives on an eight-match streak. Shelton, meanwhile, earned his first win over a top-three opponent and brought in Alcaraz's former coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, giving the rematch a concrete coaching wrinkle beyond the 3-1 head-to-head record.
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