Paris, November 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Carlos Alcaraz continued his impressive run at the Paris Masters, defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets to reach his first Rolex Masters final, where he will face Ben Shelton.
Coming off a stunning quarter-final victory over Taylor Fritz, the Spaniard needed 86 minutes to beat Ruud 6-4, 6-4. He did not face a break point during the match and now leads the Norwegian 7-1 in their ATP head-to-head record.
The victory took Alcaraz to the final of a seventh different ATP Masters 1000 event. The 23-year-old has now reached 11 Masters 1000 title matches, with Canada and Shanghai the only tournaments in the category where he has yet to appear in a final, according to ATP.
Ruud saved Alcaraz’s first two break opportunities at 1-1 and 2-2, but the Spaniard secured a crucial break in the seventh game to take the opening set 6-4 after 46 minutes.
Alcaraz was particularly effective on serve, winning 78 per cent of points on his first delivery and 86 per cent on his second. His seven forehand winners also kept the pressure on Ruud.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with both players holding serve comfortably until Alcaraz struck late. He converted his second break point of the set before serving out the match for a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Alcaraz will now face Shelton in a rematch of their thrilling quarter-final encounter at this year’s US Open. The Spaniard said he was eager to get another opportunity against the American.
“I’m happy to be in the final. I can’t wait and I’ll prepare for it as well as possible. I really want my revenge. The last time I played Ben was an incredible and difficult match. I’ll need to be better in the big moments than I was at the US Open,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz leads Shelton 3-1 in their ATP head-to-head record. Shelton most recently defeated him in a five-set contest at the US Open, while Alcaraz won their only previous indoor meeting at the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin.
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