Alcaraz beats Ruud to reach first Paris Masters final

Carlos Alcaraz reached the Paris Masters final for the first time by defeating Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4 on Saturday, setting up another meeting with Ben Shelton. BBC Sport reported that the Spaniard completed the semi-final in 86 minutes, while Shelton recovered from a set down to beat France's Luca van Assche 5-7 6-3 6-4 in the other last-four match.

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Alcaraz needed one break of serve in each set against Ruud and did not give the Norwegian a break opportunity. He won 86% of points behind his first serve and finished with 20 winners, 13 of them from his forehand. His success was not confined to the baseline: he also won 11 of 13 points at the net and closed out both sets with aces.

The straightforward scoreline contrasted with Alcaraz's quarter-final against Taylor Fritz on Friday, when he saved two match points before winning. His victory over Ruud extended his winning streak to eight matches following his title in Vienna last week. According to BBC Sport, Alcaraz has now won 15 of the 16 matches he has played since losing to Shelton at the US Open in September.

That New York encounter ended Alcaraz's title defence in a five-set quarter-final. The US Open was his first tournament after a four-month absence caused by a wrist injury. Despite that interruption, he has reached six tour-level finals in 2026, a total matched only by Shelton and Jannik Sinner. The world number three had never previously progressed beyond the Paris quarter-finals and has now made finals at seven of the nine Masters 1000 events.

Shelton's comeback against Van Assche made him the first American men's singles finalist in Paris since 2017. The world number four, who finished runner-up at this year's US Open, has recorded a career-best 45 wins this season. His September victory over Alcaraz was also his first against an opponent ranked in the world's top three.

Alcaraz won the pair's first three meetings before Shelton prevailed in New York. Speaking after his semi-final, Alcaraz described Shelton as one of the toughest opponents currently in tennis and welcomed reaching a Paris final he had long pursued. Shelton, meanwhile, acknowledged Alcaraz's strong form as both players completed their routes to the title match.