American Ben Shelton became the first tennis player to secure a place in the round of 16 at the Paris Masters 1000 tournament. The No. 3 seed overcame Britain’s Cameron Norrie 6:3, 6:4 in the second round.
The world No. 4 showed confidence and consistency on serve, not allowing his opponent to impose his rhythm. With the victory, Shelton also levelled his head-to-head record against Norrie – they now have one win each. Their previous meeting was in Cincinnati in 2022, when the Briton prevailed convincingly.
Norrie reached the second round after a difficult three-set match against Italian Matteo Arnaldi. In his opening match, the British left-hander won 6:4, 1:6, 6:3 in one hour and 40 minutes, but against Shelton’s powerful serve and aggressive play, he was unable to find the necessary solutions.
In the next stage, the American will fight for a place in the quarter-finals. His opponent will be the winner of the match between Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci and home representative Arthur Rinderknech.
Meanwhile, Shelton also announced an important change to his coaching team. Former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, who worked with Carlos Alcaraz for many years, will join the American’s team for the pre-season preparations and throughout the 2027 season. The Spanish coach will work alongside the tennis player’s father and main coach, Bryan Shelton.