Alcaraz beats Ruud and will seek the title in Paris against Ben Shelton, the young man whom Ferrero will train in 2027

Still under the echo of the two match points he saved against Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals, Carlos Alcaraz appeared in the semifinals of the Paris Masters 1000 re-armed if possible in this culmination of the course where he walks at a pace unattainable by any of his opponents. Stranded Sinner, who has chosen Magnus Norman to take over from Darren Cahill on his bench next season, and with Alexander Zverev showing signs of satiety after debuting as world number 1 in the year in which he won his first two Grand Slam titles, the Spaniard has burst onto the indoor court like never before, and still with the most appetizing dishes to serve: the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals await.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud, world number 23, 6-4, 6-4, in the semifinals in Paris and will seek his fifth title of 2026 this Sunday (3:00 p.m., Movistar) against Ben Shelton, third seed, for his fifth title of 2026. A week after lifting the cup in Vienna, he is pursuing the 29th title of his career, the ninth Masters 1000.

He will face the man whom he will coach in 2027 Juan Carlos Ferrero, the coach with whom he planned his career since his early adolescence. The American beat Luca Van Assche, the young local surprise, 5-7, 6-3 and 6-4. Alcaraz, second favorite, dominates 3-1 head-to-head with Shelton, but lost the last meeting between the two, in the quarterfinals of the last United States Open.

Early threats

The Murcian was soon close to breaking point against Ruud. It was in the seventh game when he opened a gap on the scoreboard, after having had an option in the third and fifth. In a match between two tired men, who had not had a reasonable time to recover from their quarterfinal matches, the Norwegian, the last to finish, already in the early hours of this Saturday, also the one who has fewer technical resources, bowed as soon as the service stopped assisting him.

The distance between Alcaraz and Ruud has widened widely since their initial disputes. Against Oslo he conquered the first of his seven majors in New York in 2022, to become the youngest number 1 ever. The distance between them right now is such that, as happened in the match in question, the Spaniard can allow himself to make a mistake without paying a toll for it, over-braking without it penalizing him excessively.