Ben Shelton booked his place in the semifinals of the Paris Masters after winning the closely contested all-American clash against Tommy Paul 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in around one hour and 45 minutes of play.
The match featured intense battles on serve, with the difference in each set being just a single break:
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The first set unfolded evenly under the dictate of the servers, but Shelton delivered his decisive blow in the tenth game.
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In the second set, Paul responded immediately, converting a break in his opponent's very first service game, which allowed him to level the score.
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In the decisive third set, stability was once again on Shelton's side, as he broke in the fourth game and managed to maintain his lead until the final score of 6-3, securing his place among the tournament's final four.
In addition to being eliminated from the competition in Paris, the defeat deprived Tommy Paul of the chance to qualify for the prestigious ATP Finals in Turin. His loss, however, had a positive effect on another American tennis player — Frances Tiafoe, who officially secured his place at the season-ending tournament.
In the battle for a place in the final, third seed Ben Shelton will face either home representative Luca Van Assche or Australia's Rinky Hijikata.
Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the draw, Casper Ruud and Nuno Borges will determine the next opponent of the winner of the clash between Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz, with Fritz potentially overtaking Rafael Jodar for the final spot in Turin if he succeeds.