Carlos Alcaraz has advanced to his first Paris Masters final after securing a straight-sets victory against Casper Ruud. The Spaniard earned a 6-4, 6-4 win to setup a championship match against American Ben Shelton.
Dominant Performance Against Ruud
Alcaraz, who suffered a second-round exit in Paris last year, broke Ruud’s serve to take a 4-3 lead in the opening set before wrapping it up with a 130mph ace. In the second set, both players held serve until Alcaraz broke at 4-4, closing out the semi-final encounter in 97 minutes.
The victory marks his eighth consecutive win and secures his sixth final appearance of the calendar year. Speaking on court after the match, Alcaraz reflected on his previous difficulties at the venue.
“This tournament has always been really tough for me. I’ve struggled every time,” Alcaraz said. “I’ve come into this part of the season much fresher, hungry, ambitious, excited about coming to the tournaments and stepping on the court, playing matches and competing. I’m just really happy that I made the final.”
Rematch Set with Ben Shelton
Alcaraz entered the semi-finals following a hard-fought win over Taylor Fritz, where he saved two match points. In the final, he will compete against Fritz’s countryman Shelton, two months after their clash at Flushing Meadows.
World No. 4 Shelton defeated Alcaraz in a five-set thriller during the US Open quarter-finals before eventually finishing as runner-up to Alexander Zverev. Shelton booked his place in the Paris final by overcoming France’s Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the other semi-final.
