Paris Masters Final: Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton. A US Open Quarterfinal rematch
posted by u/Ok-Soil-5133 · 2026-11-07 17:57 UTC
## Top comments
1. u/Illustrious-Cell-428 · 2026-11-07 17:59 UTC
I don’t see Carlos losing this one
2. u/12ealdeal · 2026-11-07 18:05 UTC
Is his former coach with Ben currently for this tournament? Haven’t been able to watch hopefully catch the final tomorrow.
3. u/Illustrious-Cell-428 · 2026-11-07 18:07 UTC
No, he’s joining the team next year. But I imagine Ben might be giving him a call this evening lol
4. u/black_girl_academic · 2026-11-07 18:32 UTC
https://giphy.com/gifs/I8fSr6sIkWv8y8CjpM
5. u/PattyRanger · 2026-11-07 18:07 UTC
He only starts with Ben officially during the off season
6. u/Safe-Spray7797 · 2026-11-07 18:07 UTC
No
7. u/lionhearted318 · 2026-11-07 18:06 UTC
No
8. u/iCyou1213 · 2026-11-07 19:47 UTC
Carlos has been absolutely ridiculous.
9. u/Dependent-Effect6077 · 2026-11-07 17:58 UTC
Feels like a good test to if Shelton can back up his USO win and show that he has his chances in this matchup even against an Alcaraz with better form
Alcaraz has now played 4 tournaments post-USO winning 2 and making the final here for easily his best Paris Indoors run so I think we can officially take off any "bad Carlos" caveat for his opponents
10. u/Extreme_Mud_6813 · 2026-11-07 18:05 UTC
Alcaraz still not in top form imo but I agree that it will be a good test to gauge the current level of both. First match since JCF’s coach announcement so it’s going to be spicy!🌶️
11. u/schak27 · 2026-11-07 18:26 UTC
What makes you think he isnt in top form? Aside from a couple lapses in concentration which hes always struggled with. Even during his stellar 2025 stretch he wasnt immune to a couple napcaraz matches. Plus after today's match id say his serve is again in a good place
12. u/Safe-Spray7797 · 2026-11-07 18:28 UTC
If he serve like he did today he will win imo
13. u/drvilvp · 2026-11-07 18:46 UTC
he's clearly improving his form but if you've watched Carlos for years, you'd know he's still far away from his best level. His serve is still hit & miss, ground stroke consistency is not there, footwork, decision making and shot selection are still far from optimal. Him reaching these finals and winning titles is just a symptom of his outrageous abilities but he's nowhere near "top form" like he was in USO 2025.
14. u/schak27 · 2026-11-07 19:23 UTC
Fair enough. USO 2025 might go down as his greatest slam run by the end of his career and i wouldnt be mad at it. iirc he even beat sampras' record for least service games lost in a slam run
15. u/No-Fruit-2060 · 2026-11-07 19:23 UTC
Maybe he just isn’t as good anymore? Not everyone is able to play at peak level for a long time. Maybe this is his top form now.
16. u/Dulgas · 2026-11-07 19:45 UTC
maybe, but taking into account his "recent" injury, it's just very unlikely
17. u/StatusMother1745 · 2026-11-07 19:49 UTC
Professional tennis players are almost never in 100% top form. I think this is a grace that for whatever reason fans give to the legends of the sport, but not to any other player. If “top form” is “the best this player has ever looked,” then almost all players only hit that point occasionally. It’s not like Carlos’ top form is something that he is in regularly, even before the injury. Then when a legend loses on occasion, it’s really easy to retreat into “they were not in their top form,” but no one ever says that for other players when they lose.
Legends are given a grace that assuming they were at their best ever, they probably wouldn’t lose a match… but I don’t see anyone ever saying that for any other player. Of course if a player was at their 100% top form they have ever played at, they probably would rarely lose.
It’s pretty rare to be at 100% top form as a professional tennis player because of how grueling the sport is physically and mentally. Roddick and few other pros have said this before as well.
18. u/Lilylikeslilies · 2026-11-07 17:59 UTC
I mean two wins one by one against Alcaraz will make him scary
19. u/Extreme_Mud_6813 · 2026-11-07 18:16 UTC
Yeah if he wins it will make Turin and next year interesting but I wouldn’t put too much stock in it. US Open, Carlos was rusty as hell and even tomorrow he won’t be at 100%. He’s never made it past quarters at this event and it’s an indoor hard court that favors great servers like Ben. If Shelton beats him at AO and RG then yes, we have a problem.
20. u/Jebacina2222 · 2026-11-07 18:30 UTC
lol already making excuses for Carlos 😂