“The French crowd has some of the best energy in tennis”: Shelton beats Norrie in Paris
Third seed Ben Shelton beat Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last 16 in Paris, avenging his defeat in Cincinnati, and praised the energy of the French crowd. He will face Mattia Bellucci or Arthur Rinderknech.
Ben Shelton, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Michael Baucher / PsNewz
Third seed Ben Shelton of the United States beat Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour 12 minutes in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday night. He will face Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci or Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the round of 16.
Shelton, already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, avenged a 6-0, 6-2 defeat to Norrie in the round of 16 in Cincinnati in 2022, their only previous meeting.
“First of all, he’s a great player,” Shelton said on court. “He killed me last time we played in Cincinnati.”
How Shelton broke Norrie three times in Paris
Shelton broke for 3-1 in the opening set and took it on his first set point. He broke again in the first game of the second set.
Norrie broke back for 4-4, but Shelton broke straight back and served out the match on his second match point. The American won 88 percent of his first-serve points (29 of 33).
Norrie, who beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in the first round, had knocked out Carlos Alcaraz in the second round in Paris last year.
“I think the French crowd has some of the best energy in tennis,” Shelton said. “So for me it’s a pleasure every match that I get to play here. It’s a lot of fun, great atmosphere.”
The US Open runner-up has won four titles this season, in Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and at the Montreal Masters. Former Carlos Alcaraz coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has joined his team.
“Tennis is a game that you have to continue to improve or you fall behind,” he added. “I just love being out here, I love competing, I love seeing how much better I can get.”
Rinderknech and Bellucci open Wednesday’s play on Court 1.
Rolex Paris Masters 2026 second-round results
Alexander Zverev (1) vs Lorenzo Musetti (Wednesday)
Novak Djokovic (10) vs Rinky Hijikata (Q) (Wednesday)
Learner Tien (15) vs Luca Van Assche (Wednesday)
Alex de Minaur (8) vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Wednesday)
Ben Shelton (3) d. Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4
Arthur Rinderknech vs Mattia Bellucci (Q) (Wednesday)
Tommy Paul (12) vs Daniel Merida (Wednesday)
Frances Tiafoe (7) vs Quentin Halys (Wednesday)
Rafael Jodar (9) vs Casper Ruud (Tuesday)
Thiago Agustin Tirante (LL) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (SE) (Wednesday)
Daniil Medvedev (4) vs Ignacio Buse (Wednesday)
Karen Khachanov vs Nuno Borges (LL) (Wednesday)
Arthur Fils (6) vs Tomas Machac (Q) (Wednesday)
Taylor Fritz (11) vs Alex Molcan (Q) (Wednesday)
Ugo Humbert vs Matteo Berrettini (Wednesday)
Carlos Alcaraz (2) vs Alex Michelsen (Wednesday)
In bold: today’s results.
