Ben Shelton claims career-best win total to reach Paris Masters quarter-finals
Ben Shelton secured a victory over Arthur Rinderknech with scores of 3-6, 6-4, and 7-6 during the third round at the Paris Masters.
After dropping the first set, the world number four rallied to secure a spot in the Paris Masters quarter-finals, thereby arranging an all-American encounter with Tommy Paul while establishing a new personal milestone.
Shelton has accumulated more victories in 2026 than in any previous campaign of his professional life. By overcoming Rinderknech, he exceeded the total number of wins he achieved in 2025.
Ben Shelton establishes a new personal best of 43 victories within a single season
The American competitor has secured 43 match wins this season. This achievement stands out as particularly notable given the difficulties Shelton faced at several tournaments; indeed, he went winless at six events throughout the year.
Ben Sheltonβs 2026 performance record (43-18)
| Tournament | Performance | Match wins | Defeat |
| ASB Classic | Quarter-final | 1 (Francisco Comesana) | Sebastian Baez |
| Australian Open | Quarter-final | 4 (Ugo Humbert, Dane Sweeny, Valentin Vacherot, Casper Ruud) | Jannik Sinner |
| Dallas Open | Champion | 5 (Gabriel Diallo, Adrian Mannarino, Miomir Kecmanovic, Denis Shapovalov, Taylor Fritz) | β |
| Indian Wells | Third round | 1 (Reilly Opelka) | Learner Tien |
| Miami Open | Second round | 0 | Alexander Shevchenko |
| Houston Open | Quarter-final | 1 (Zhang Zhizhen) | Thiago Agustin Tirante |
| Munich Open | Champion | 5 (Emilio Nava, Alexander Blockx, Joao Fonseca, Alex Molcan, Flavio Cobolli) | β |
| Madrid Open | Second round | 0 | Dino Prizmic |
| Italian Open | Second round | 0 | Nikoloz Basilashvili |
| Hamburg Open | Second round | 1 (Marcos Giron) | Daniel Altmaier |
| French Open | Second round | 1 (Daniel Merida) | Raphael Collignon |
| Stuttgart Open | Champion | 4 (Marcos Giron, Sho Shimabukuro, Jiri Lehecka, Taylor Fritz) | β |
| Halle Open | Quarter-final | 2 (Lorenzo Sonego, Ethan Quinn) | Taylor Fritz |
| Wimbledon | First round | 0 | Otto Virtanen |
| Washington Open | Quarter-final | 2 (Martin Damm Jr, Ugo Humbert) | Alejandro Tabilo |
| Canadian Open | Champion | 6 (Jenson Brooksby, Zizou Bergs, Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima) | β |
| Cincinnati Open | Second round | 0 | Jaime Faria |
| US Open | Final | 6 (Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe) | Alexander Zverev |
| Davis Cup | β | 0 | Jakub Mensik, Jiri Lehecka |
| Shanghai Masters | Third round | 1 (Daniel Altmaier) | Arthur Gea |
| Swiss Indoors | Second round | 1 (Aleksandar Kovacevic) | Jerome Kym |
| Paris Masters* | Quarter-final | 2 (Cameron Norrie, Arthur Rinderknech) |
Ben Sheltonβs 2026 performance record
He likely desires to conclude the year with more than 43 wins. Shelton retains the opportunity to raise his final tally to 51 before the year ends. Securing three additional victories would enable the American to claim the Paris Masters trophy, while a flawless run at the ATP Finals would yield five more wins.
Yet, achieving this remains difficult. Shelton encounters several significant hurdles in Paris before competing against the sport’s elite in Turin for the ATP Finals.
Does Ben Shelton possess an advantage over Tommy Paul prior to their Paris Masters encounter?
Shelton and Paul have crossed paths four times before. Their head-to-head record is level at 2-2, yet their last meeting occurred on February 2024, 999 days ago. Shelton enters the match as the favorite due to his higher ranking, though one might contend that Paul possesses greater motivation.
Ben Shelton and Tommy Paulβs head-to-head statistics (2-2)
- 2023 Australian Open QF β Tommy Paul defeated Ben Shelton, 7-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
- 2023 US Open 4R β Ben Shelton defeated Tommy Paul, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
- 2023 Japan Open QF β Ben Shelton defeated Tommy Paul, 7-6, 6-3
- 2024 Dallas Open SF β Tommy Paul defeated Ben Shelton, 6-2, 6-4
Paul retains a slim possibility of qualifying for the ATP Finals, a feat requiring him to reach the Paris Masters final. Conversely, Shelton has already secured his place in Turin and may already be focusing on the year-end championships.
Forecasting the winner of their Friday, November 6 clash is difficult, but who will the victors face in the semi-finals? The winner of the Paul versus Shelton match will progress to meet either Rinky Hijikata, Lorenzo Musetti, or Luca Van Assche.
