Alcaraz and Shelton meet again with the Paris title at stake
· BehindLines newsroom
Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton are set to contest the Paris tournament final on Sunday 8 November. They qualified on Saturday by different routes: the Spaniard beat Casper Ruud in straight sets, while the American recovered after losing the opening set to Luca Van Assche. The title has yet to be decided.
Contrasting semi-finals
Alcaraz defeated Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to reach his first final at this event. He took the opening set after breaking at 3-3, then broke his opponent’s serve at 4-4 in the second. Shelton beat Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
Alcaraz’s route had been less certain in the previous round: on Friday, Taylor Fritz held two match points before the Spaniard turned the contest around. Against Ruud, he confirmed his progress through the tournament.
Sunday’s match brings together two players who already met in the US Open quarter-finals this season. Shelton won that encounter in five sets. Paris offers another meeting, this time with a trophy directly at stake.
Paris before Turin
The ATP Finals are scheduled in Turin from 15 to 22 November. The list of eight qualifiers is already complete: Rafael Jodar secured the final place after Alcaraz beat Fritz in Paris.
Alcaraz and Shelton are also among the players announced for Turin, alongside Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils and Frances Tiafoe. The Paris final therefore will not determine that last qualifying place, which has already been awarded.
For both finalists, there is first one more match to win in Paris before the next Italian event. The semi-finals established the opponents; the outcome of the final match, scheduled for this Sunday, remains open.