Shelton wins final-set tie-break thriller against Rinderknech to set up Paul quarter-final

Third seed Ben Shelton of the United States came from a set down to beat Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in a final-set tie-break thriller on Court Central on Thursday and reach the quarter-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters. He will face fellow American Tommy Paul, who beat Quentin Halys 7-6 (3), 6-4 earlier in the day.

Shelton took his revenge on Rinderknech, who had beaten him 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) at Queen’s in 2025 in their only previous meeting, the Frenchman’s first win over a top-10 player. The American is the first player from his country to reach back-to-back quarter-finals in Paris since Jack Sock (2016-18), according to the ATP.

It is his eighth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and his second of the season, after he won Montreal without dropping a set. It is also his 43rd win of 2026, a personal best for a season. In the Race to Turin, where he is already qualified, the win takes Shelton to 4,720 points.

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Shelton faces Paul next in Paris

He and Paul are level at 2-2 in their head-to-head. Shelton won their meetings at the 2023 US Open and in Tokyo the same year, and Paul won the most recent one, 6-2, 6-4 in the Dallas semi-finals in 2024.

Rinderknech’s week ends at the last-16 stage

Rinderknech had beaten Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 3-6, 7-6 (2), 2-0, ret., and Italy’s Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-1 earlier in the week. The 31-year-old was chasing a second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after his run to the Shanghai final last year. He is now 0-7 against top-10 players in 2026.

Rolex Paris Masters 2026 third-round results

Lorenzo Musetti vs Luca Van Assche (Thursday)
Rinky Hijikata (Q) vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Thursday)
Ben Shelton (3) d. Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Tommy Paul (12) d. Quentin Halys 7-6 (3), 6-4
Jan-Lennard Struff (SE) vs Casper Ruud (Thursday)
Nuno Borges (LL) vs Ignacio Buse (Thursday)
Arthur Fils (6) vs Taylor Fritz (11) (Thursday)
Carlos Alcaraz (2) d. Matteo Berrettini, walkover

In bold: today’s results.