The 2026 Rolex Paris Masters final is set, with Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton coming through Saturday’s semi-finals to book a rematch of their five-set US Open encounter earlier this season.
Shelton had to dig deep once again, recovering from a set down and 3-1 behind in the decider to end Luca Van Assche’s impressive run on home soil.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, had a far easier afternoon, brushing aside Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 without facing a single break point. After saving two match points against Taylor Fritz on Friday, the Spaniard was far too strong for a physically struggling Ruud and now stands one win away from his first Paris Masters title.
Below is a look at Saturday’s semi-final results, match stats, highlights, and a preview of Sunday’s final, where Shelton will hope to repeat his US Open victory and Alcaraz will look for revenge.
Day Six Paris Masters Semi-Final Results
| Winner | Loser | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Ben Shelton (3) | Luca Van Assche | 5-7 6-3 6-4 |
| Carlos Alcaraz (2) | Casper Ruud | 6-4 6-4 |
Semi-Final Recap
Ben Shelton def. Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Ben Shelton reached his first Paris Masters final with another three-set victory, recovering from a set down and a break down in the decider to end Luca Van Assche’s run on home soil.
The American was the favourite coming into the match, but Van Assche had already knocked out Lorenzo Musetti, so I didn’t think it would be straightforward.
Shelton started well enough on serve, but his forehand was all over the place in the opening set, with the American committing 14 unforced errors off that wing alone.
Van Assche was solid from the baseline, getting plenty of returns back into play and making Shelton hit the extra ball, which is often a good tactic against someone who can be a bit trigger-happy.
The Frenchman eventually got his just rewards at 5-5, securing the only break of the set before serving it out to take the opener 7-5.
Shelton responded well in the second, cut down errors, and began finding more success on return; he broke at 3-2 and levelled the match 6-3 without facing much trouble on his own serve.
However, Van Assche didn’t just roll over and made the better start to the decider, breaking with an excellent return winner to move 3-1 ahead.
At that point, with the crowd firmly behind him and a first Masters 1000 final within reach, the Frenchman looked in a very strong position.
But he naturally got nervy; a couple of loose errors and a double fault handed the break straight back, and from there Shelton took control, winning five of the final six games to close out the match 6-4.
Still, a decent week for LVA, who was ranked nowhere a year ago, and it will be interesting to see if he can deliver on some of his Junior Tennis promise.
As for Shelton, that’s now three consecutive three-set wins, and while he hasn’t looked great, his serve gives him a chance in pretty much any encounter.
He’s now reached six finals in 2026, the most by an American in a single season since James Blake in 2006.
Carlos Alcaraz awaits in the final, and while Shelton beat him in five sets at the US Open earlier this year, he’ll need to produce a much cleaner performance than we saw for large parts of this match.
Match Stats
| Key Stats | Luca Van Assche | Ben Shelton |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 24 | 44 |
| Unforced Errors | 28 | 27 |
| Aces | 9 | 19 |
| Double Faults | 5 | 0 |
| 1st Serve In | 55% (51/92) | 75% (64/85) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 76% (39/51) | 83% (53/64) |
| 2nd Serve In | 88% (36/41) | 100% (21/21) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 49% (20/41) | 48% (10/21) |
| Break Points Saved | 57% (4/7) | 67% (4/6) |
| Service Games | 80% (12/15) | 88% (14/16) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 17% (11/64) | 24% (12/51) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 52% (11/21) | 51% (21/41) |
| Break Points Won | 33% (2/6) | 43% (3/7) |
| Return Games | 13% (2/16) | 20% (3/15) |
| Service Points | 64% (59/92) | 74% (63/85) |
| Return Points | 26% (22/85) | 36% (33/92) |
| Net Points | 69% (11/16) | 78% (18/23) |
| Total Points | 46% (81/177) | 54% (96/177) |
| Pressure Points | 48% (11/23) | 52% (12/23) |
| Match Points Saved | 1 | 0 |
| Max Points In A Row | 6 | 7 |
| Total Games | 45% (14/31) | 55% (17/31) |
| Max Games In A Row | 3 | 4 |
Highlights
Carlos Alcaraz def. Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4
After narrowly escaping against Taylor Fritz on Friday, Carlos Alcaraz had a much more comfortable afternoon against Casper Ruud, winning 6-4, 6-4 in just 86 minutes to reach his first Paris Masters final.
Ruud had played some excellent tennis throughout the week, particularly against Rafael Jódar, but he looked to be struggling physically in this one, allowing Alcaraz to move him around the baseline and never really let the Norwegian get into the match.
Both sets followed a similar pattern, with Alcaraz remaining solid behind serve before finding the one break he needed to take control.
Ruud didn’t create a single break point, and Alcaraz dropped just nine points on serve, so it was never really competitive.
Alcaraz still showed some of his usual shot-making, including a volley drop shot early in the second set, and he now leads their head-to-head 7-1.
He’ll face Ben Shelton in Sunday’s final, which is a rematch of their US Open encounter, which Shelton won in five sets.
I’d still make the Spaniard a fairly strong favourite, particularly given how much tennis Shelton has played this week. It might be close if Shelton can play consistently over 3 sets, but if he can’t, Alcaraz should finally add the Paris Masters title to his collection.
Match Stats
| Key Stats | Casper Ruud | Carlos Alcaraz |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 14 | 27 |
| Unforced Errors | 23 | 21 |
| Aces | 7 | 7 |
| Double Faults | 3 | 0 |
| 1st Serve In | 66% (47/71) | 71% (35/49) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 66% (31/47) | 86% (30/35) |
| 2nd Serve In | 88% (21/24) | 100% (14/14) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 46% (11/24) | 71% (10/14) |
| Break Points Saved | 60% (3/5) | 0% (0/0) |
| Service Games | 80% (8/10) | 100% (10/10) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 14% (5/35) | 34% (16/47) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 29% (4/14) | 54% (13/24) |
| Break Points Won | 0% (0/0) | 40% (2/5) |
| Return Games | 0% (0/10) | 20% (2/10) |
| Service Points | 59% (42/71) | 82% (40/49) |
| Return Points | 18% (9/49) | 41% (29/71) |
| Net Points | 50% (4/8) | 87% (13/15) |
| Total Points | 43% (51/120) | 57% (69/120) |
| Pressure Points | 67% (8/12) | 33% (4/12) |
| Match Points Saved | 1 | 0 |
| Max Points In A Row | 3 | 9 |
| Total Games | 40% (8/20) | 60% (12/20) |
| Max Games In A Row | 1 | 3 |
Highlights
Paris Masters Day 7 Final
| Match | Round | Court | Time / Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Shelton (3) vs Carlos Alcaraz (2) | Final | Central | Not before 15:00 |
All times local (CET). Start time is subject to change.
