The 2026 Rolex Paris Masters has its final: today, Sunday 8 November, at 15:00 (site time), Ben Shelton faces Carlos Alcaraz indoors in Paris. It is a Masters 1000, so 1,000 points go to the winner and 650 to the runner-up. On one side stands the world No. 4, on the other the No. 3.
The draw has lost many big names along the way. Alexander Zverev, in his debut as world No. 1, lost to Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(5) 6-2 in the second round. Novak Djokovic was beaten by Rinky Hijikata 2-6 6-3 6-3, while Taylor Fritz went out to Alcaraz in the quarter-finals after three sets. Two players are left, and they reached the last act by very different routes.
Shelton had a bumpy ride. In the second round he beat Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4, then in the last 16 he had to come back against Arthur Rinderknech: 3-6 6-4 7-6(5), the deciding set going to a tie-break. In the quarter-finals he eliminated Tommy Paul 6-4 4-6 6-3, and in the semi-final he came from behind against Luca Van Assche, the last Frenchman in the draw, after losing the first set: 5-7 6-3 6-4.
Alcaraz's path was smoother, with a little help from the schedule. In the second round he beat Alex Michelsen 7-6(4) 6-3. In the last 16 he did not play: Matteo Berrettini withdrew and the Spaniard advanced by walkover. The quarter-final was the toughest test, with Fritz beaten 6-7(10) 7-5 6-3 after dropping the first-set tie-break, and in the semi-final Alcaraz beat Casper Ruud 6-4 6-4.
The head-to-head favours Alcaraz 2-1, but the latest meeting is very recent and it matters. In 2023 in Toronto, in the second round of a Masters 1000, the Spaniard won 6-3 7-6(3). In 2025 at Roland Garros, in the last 16, Alcaraz prevailed 7-6(8) 6-3 4-6 6-4. This year, in the US Open quarter-finals, Shelton won 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(7), after five sets and a deciding tie-break decided by a whisker.
All three meetings featured at least one tie-break, which is one reason the final promises to be tight. Three matches are too few to say who the favourite is, but they describe hard-fought contests. Today the two meet in a final for the first time.
The last matches show how each is playing. Alcaraz has won 9 of his last 10, took the Vienna 500 by beating Alex De Minaur 6-1 6-4 in the final, after beating Daniil Medvedev 6-4 7-6(2) in the semi-final and Paul 6-4 7-6(2) in the quarter-finals. Shelton is 7-3 in his last ten and comes off a Basel week that ended in the last 16 with a loss to Jerome Kym 6-3 6-7(4) 7-6(1).
Looking at the whole season, the two have had different years. Shelton won the Montreal Masters 1000, reached the US Open final (losing to Zverev 6-3 7-6(2) 5-7 6-2) and hit his career-high ranking, No. 4, on 14 September. Alcaraz won in Tokyo and Vienna, but lost in the third round in Shanghai to Zizou Bergs 7-5 7-6(4) and stopped in the quarter-finals at the US Open, against Shelton.
Last year puts the two careers in perspective. In 2025 Alcaraz finished with 64 wins and 7 defeats and eight titles, while Shelton won 39 and lost 21, with one title. Between 2021 and 2025 Alcaraz won 22 titles from 28 finals on the main tour, Shelton two titles from four finals.
In terms of points, the final matters a lot to Alcaraz: in Paris in 2025 he stopped in the second round and collected 50 points. Shelton, a year ago, went out in the quarter-finals with 200 points. By reaching the final he has already gained 650 points from the start of the tournament; the title would add another 350 for whoever wins it. In the rankings, ahead of Alcaraz remain Zverev at No. 1 and Jannik Sinner at No. 2.
The tournament's roll of honour features great champions. Last year Sinner beat Felix Auger Aliassime 6-4 7-6(4); in 2024 Zverev beat Ugo Humbert 6-2 6-2 and in 2023 Djokovic beat Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-3. In 2022 the title went to Holger Rune, who came back against Djokovic 3-6 6-3 7-5, while in 2021 the Serb won the final against Daniil Medvedev 4-6 6-3 6-3.
The geography of the final also tells a story. The event brought 56 players from 23 nations: France was the most represented, with ten names, and its run ended with Van Assche's semi-final. The United States had seven players and Spain three; now one each remains. For the Paris crowd it will be a final without a home player.
The tournament numbers show a hard-fought week: 53 matches played before the final, 30 tie-breaks, 20 matches that went to a deciding set and two retirements, plus one walkover. The match with the most games was Fritz-Alex Molcan, 6-7(6) 7-5 7-6(5), 38 games. Neither finalist has had it easy, and the script suggests a contest played point by point.
What to watch this afternoon, then? The first is the start: Shelton lost the first set twice this week, against Rinderknech and Van Assche, and each time found a comeback. The second is Alcaraz's resilience: against Fritz he lost the first set 7-6 with the tie-break reaching 12-10, and still won. The third is the tie-break itself, which decided a set in all three previous meetings.
After the final the tour will look at the rankings: Zverev is No. 1 and Sinner No. 2, with Alcaraz and Shelton right behind. Whoever lifts the trophy will gain points and confidence. Whoever loses will still take home 650 points and a week as a protagonist.
Test yourself
3 questions on what you have just read.
1. Who won the latest Shelton-Alcaraz meeting, in the 2026 US Open quarter-finals?
2. How did Alcaraz get past the last 16 in Paris?
3. How many ATP points does the beaten finalist earn at the Rolex Paris Masters?