Shelton fights back to beat Rinderknech in Paris and sets up quarter-final with Paul

Ben Shelton came from a set down on Court Central on Thursday to beat Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) and reach the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters, on a day the Frenchman pushed him all the way to a final-set tie-break.

Rinderknech, cheered on by the home crowd, took the first set, but the third seed levelled in the second and edged the deciding tie-break 7-5. Shelton beat Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in his first match of the week.

‘Everyone is probably cooked’

Shelton, who lost the US Open final to Alexander Zverev, said he had been worn out for much of the autumn and was only now feeling himself again. “Yeah, I think everyone is probably cooked,” he said of the late-season grind. “This is kind of the first week since the US Open that I’ve really felt 100 per cent ready to compete.”

He has already qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, which run from November 15 to 22, and said he looked forward to sharing the week with his close friend Arthur Fils, who made the eight-man field for the first time on Wednesday.

An American quarter-final

Shelton now meets fellow American Tommy Paul on Friday. The 12th seed ended Quentin Halys’s run 7-6(3), 6-4 earlier in the day, a day after the Frenchman had saved four match points to beat Frances Tiafoe. Paul’s result equals his best in Paris, from 2022.

Paul is chasing a late place in Turin. He sits 13th in the live race and needs to reach the final to pass Rafael Jodar for the ninth and last spot, with Jannik Sinner out for the season.

Alcaraz through without playing

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz reached the last eight without hitting a ball. Matteo Berrettini withdrew from their night match with arm pain, a day after Alcaraz had survived the round of upsets that knocked out Zverev and Novak Djokovic.

Fils, the sixth seed, was still to play 11th seed Taylor Fritz for a place in the quarter-finals when this was written.