Carlos Alcaraz calls Ben Shelton “one of the most difficult challenges I can face in tennis right now”, and says he wants “revenge” for the US Open defeat as the pair meet in the Paris Masters final on Sunday.
Alcaraz reached his first Paris Masters final by beating Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4, in a semi-final in which Ruud was reportedly affected by a knee injury. Before this week his best result in Paris was the quarter-finals. The final is due to start at 2pm UK time.
Alcaraz: “Ben is playing great tennis”
Alcaraz arrives in form and with some drama behind him: he saved two match points against Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals before beating Ruud.
Speaking to Sky Sports straight after the semi-final, in comments reported by Tennis365, Alcaraz did not play down the opponent: “It’s probably one of the most difficult challenges I can face in tennis right now. Ben is playing great tennis.”
He listed what worries him: “Big serve, from the baseline he’s playing really solid, really strong physically.” He then turned to their last meeting, the US Open quarter-final that Shelton won in a deciding set. “Last time, 7-6 in the fifth, hell of a match,” Alcaraz said, “so I’m going to try and do a little bit better the things that I didn’t do well in that US Open match.”
Revenge, and a lesson
The word he used most pointedly was the plainest: “I really want to take the revenge against Ben.” But he framed the defeat as one of margins rather than a flaw: “Last time, it was a pretty tough match that it was just about details. I’m going to try to do different things in those little moments, important moments.”
He finished on a note of curiosity rather than aggression: “I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a great match to watch and for me to play and, of course, to learn.”
The Ferrero subplot
There is a sideshow. Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz’s former coach, is due to work with Shelton from the 2027 season. Alcaraz was asked about it last week and called it “a great addition” to a rival’s team, adding “I will be aware of him”, as we reported here. The partnership only begins next season, so it plays no part in the final itself, but it adds spice to the rivalry.
What to watch
Alcaraz’s own list tells you the match. Shelton’s serve gives him free points and shortens the rallies Alcaraz wants to build, so the Spaniard will need to read the serve early and win the second-shot contest from the baseline. If he does it, his superior movement and shot variety should tell. If not, another tight match against the American is the likely outcome.
Whatever the result, the way Alcaraz talks about it is revealing. He is not fretting about Paris history. He is treating the final as a rematch with an identifiable problem to solve, and that clarity is what separates the favourite from a nervous finalist.
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