After producing one of the most thrilling matches of the year earlier at the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton are set to clash again. They will lock horns in the final of the Paris Masters, their second meeting of the season. The final was decided after Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4, and Shelton got the better of Luca Van Assche in three sets. However, while the American was involved in a very tough match, Alcaraz pretty much made light work of Ruud.

The Spaniard was exceptionally strong with his serve and didn’t have to face a single break point throughout the match. A service break each in the first and second set was enough for him to wrap up the match in an hour and 26 minutes. This victory means that Alcaraz has now reached the final in seven different Masters 1000 events.

Additionally, he has now reached a total of 11 finals in such events, the same as Boris Becker and Daniil Medvedev. Having gotten past Ruud rather comfortably, Shelton is the player who stands between Alcaraz and the coveted Paris Masters title. Fans wouldn’t want to miss this clash, as the two had put on quite a show at the US Open earlier this year and can now do the same in the French capital.

They played each other in the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz led Shelton by 3-0 in the H2H record coming into the clash, but the American turned the tables in front of his home crowd. The match went down to the wire, but Shelton eventually pulled through and triumphed 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6. It was one of the longest matches of the tournament, lasting four hours and 28 minutes.

But this time, the momentum appears to be with Alcaraz, as Shelton may not be at his physical best in the final. This is because the World No. 4 has already had quite an exhausting tournament, with each of his last three matches going down to the third set. He was involved in a grueling clash against Luca Van Assche in the semifinals and rallied from behind to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

In comparison, Alcaraz has had a much smoother path to the final. He didn’t even have to play in the Round of 16 as his opponent, Matteo Berrettini, withdrew due to injury. The World No. 3’s only test came against Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals, where he came back from behind despite being a match point down.

The thrilling 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory was likely a major morale booster for Alcaraz, and he then went on to clinch a straight-set win over Ruud. He hasn’t forgotten about the defeat to Shelton at the US Open and is looking forward to facing him in the final.

Carlos Alcaraz is eager to get his ‘revenge’ on Ben Shelton in the Paris Masters final

“I’m very happy to reach the final,” he said in his on-court interview. “Tomorrow is going to be a great day, I can’t wait for it to arrive. I’m really looking forward to getting my revenge against Ben (Shelton). Last time was a very tough match that was decided by small details.”

Alcaraz is confident that he has learned from the mistakes he made against Shelton at Flushing Meadows and will be hoping not to repeat them in Paris.

“I’m going to try to do things differently in those small, important moments that perhaps I didn’t get right last time. I’m sure it’s going to be a great match to watch, to play and, of course, to learn from,” he added.

It is difficult to determine a favorite for the final as both players are in great form. While Alcaraz is coming off a title triumph at the Vienna Open, Shelton has had his career-best season on the Tour. This may not even be their last meeting of the year, as they will also be in action at the ATP Finals in Turin, which will begin on November 15.