Carlos Alcaraz to face Ben Shelton in Paris Masters final

Carlos Alcaraz booked his place in the Paris Masters final after defeating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals on Saturday. The second-seeded Spaniard will face third-seeded Ben Shelton in the title clash and it will be his third final appearance since the US Open. The American secured his place in the final after coming from behind to beat Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the other semifinal.

Alcaraz holds a 3-1 head-to-head record against Shelton but lost their most recent meeting in the US Open quarterfinals.

“I really want to take revenge against Ben,” Alcaraz said. “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.”

Alcaraz had saved two match points against Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals on Friday. However, he faced little trouble against Ruud, not allowing the Norwegian a single break point.

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He wrapped up the match with an ace and has now won seven of his eight meetings against Ruud.

The Spaniard is aiming for his fifth title of the season and the 29th of his career. He won the Vienna Open title last Sunday.

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Meanwhile, Shelton fought back from a 1-3 deficit in the deciding set, winning four straight games to take a 5-3 lead. Van Assche held serve, but the American comfortably served out the match to book his place in the final.

“I know there is always going to be some little chance I can execute,” Shelton said. “If I can be brave and keep winning my serve and stick with the guy, I feel there is a small window.”

The American is now chasing his fifth title of the year and eighth overall. He is also aiming for his third Masters title after winning the Montreal tournament twice.