Alcaraz and Shelton Advance to Paris Masters Final

Carlos Alcaraz reached his third final since the US Open by defeating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday.

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday to secure a spot in the Paris Masters final. The No. 2 seed did not face a single break point during the match and finished the contest with an ace. This victory marks Alcaraz's seventh win in eight career meetings against Ruud and places him in his third final since the US Open.

Alcaraz will compete for his 29th career title against No. 3 seed Ben Shelton. The American reached the final by rallying from a break down in the third set to beat unseeded Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Shelton trailed 3-1 in the deciding set before winning four consecutive games to take a 5-3 lead. He recorded 19 aces in the match, including a love hold to tie the second set and a final ace to reach 5-3 in the third.

Shelton is seeking his third Masters title and his eighth overall championship. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series between the two finalists 3-1, though Shelton won their most recent encounter in a US Open quarterfinal that concluded at 3:33 a.m. Both players enter the final looking for their fifth tournament victory of the year.