ATP Tour

Alcaraz eyes Shelton revenge in Paris title showdown

Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton will round out the 2026 ATP Masters 1000 season in blockbuster fashion on Sunday, when the Top-5 rivals clash for the trophy at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz and No. 4 Shelton will face off in a final for the first time in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, with both players aiming to send a title-winning statement to their rivals before heading to the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals. Alcaraz’s standout shotmaking and the big-serving power of Shelton are scheduled to light up Plenitude Arena from not before 3 p.m. local time (CEST).

A couple of intriguing storylines lie in the background of the latest encounter between Alcaraz and Shelton. For starters, it will be the first time the two players have played since Shelton edged a five-set quarter-final epic at the US Open in September, a match that set the record for the latest finish (3:33 a.m.) in the history of the hard-court major.

The Paris showdown also comes just one week after Shelton announced the addition of Juan Carlos Ferrero to his coaching team for the 2027 season. Ferrero, a former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, previously enjoyed a hugely successful long-term stint working with his fellow Spaniard Alcaraz.

Alcaraz enters Sunday’s showdown on an eight-match winning streak, having arrived in Paris off the back of an ATP 500 title run in Vienna. The 23-year-old had never previously been past the quarter-finals in Paris and now has the chance to claim the biggest indoor title of his career ahead of his fourth Nitto ATP Finals appearance.

“Tomorrow is going to be a big day,” Alcaraz said after his semi-final victory against Casper Ruud in the French capital. “I’m really happy and excited. I can’t wait and will try to prepare for the match the best that I can and give myself a chance. I really want to take revenge against Ben.

“Last time was a pretty tough match. I’m going to try to do different things at little moments, important moments, that I probably didn’t do well last time. I’m pretty sure it is going to be a great match to watch, for me to play and of course to learn.”

Alcaraz, who saved two match points to escape Taylor Fritz in the Paris quarter-finals, is now into the final at a seventh different Masters 1000 event. In contrast, Shelton is playing a Masters 1000 championship match outside Canada for the first time, following his title runs in Toronto in 2025 and Montreal earlier this year.

The American lefty dug deep to oust home favourite Luca Van Assche across three sets in Saturday’s semi-finals but will know he will likely have to raise his level to take down nine-time Masters 1000 champion Alcaraz. Shelton will know that if he can deploy his booming serve to good effect on the fast Paris courts, his task against Alcaraz will be made significantly easier.

“For me every match is a special one,” Shelton said after defeating Van Assche to reach the final. “I love playing out here on Tour, and I love playing these big matches at the end of a tournament… It’s a great matchup against a high-calibre player and I think it could be really exciting.”

Although Shelton won the pair’s most recent meeting in New York, Alcaraz holds a 3-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead over Shelton. The Spaniard also won the pair’s only previous clash indoors, at the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin.

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