Tennis | ATP Paris 2026 | Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz battle in quarter-final tussle

By Tony Fairbairn

• Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Taylor Fritz [11]
• Ben Shelton [3] v Tommy Paul [12]
• Casper Ruud v Nuno Borges [LL]
• Luca Van Assche v Rinky Hijikata [Q]

PARIS, FRANCE – Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz will do battle as a place in the semi-finals is at stake in Paris.

Carlos Alcaraz [2] v Taylor Fritz [11] H2H & Match Fundamentals

After missing most of the season due to injury, Carlos Alcaraz is on a mission at the end of the season. The Spaniard continued his red-hot form at ATP 500 level after dismantling the competition on his way to a first Vienna title. Now, the Spaniard is continuing that form into Paris as he builds momentum towards the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Aiming to set the standard, Alcaraz will hope to prove why he is the main man on the tour as he looks for a couple of titles heading into his Australian Open title defence at the start of next season.

The next obstacle for Alcaraz is Taylor Fritz who has his own ambitions of reaching the Nitto ATP Finals. A big win for Fritz over Arthur Fils strengthened his bid for Turin after almost heading out of the tournament at the hands of Alex Molcan. A win over Alcaraz would move Fritz into the top eight spots as he aims to cap off a decent season with a big achievement. An indoor hard court match favours Fritz as he looks to overturn a very poor head-to-head record against the Spaniard.

Alcaraz will use the forehand to open up the space on the court and force errors from Fritz’s game. Meanwhile, Fritz will aim to serve aggressively and move towards the net in order to shorten the points. This will be a tight match with Fritz expected to raise his level of play with such a big reward at stake for winning this match. Will it be enough?

Prediction: Fritz in three sets.

Ben Shelton [3] v Tommy Paul [12] H2H & Match Fundamentals

It’s been a stunning year for Ben Shelton as he prepares to end the season strongly with an appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. The American survived a severe test of his credentials with a last set tiebreak win over Arthur Rinderknech to reach the quarter-finals at the French capital. Now, Shelton will continue to take risks and be aggressive on his first serve as he looks to take advantage of some big names exiting the tournament early.

Next up for Shelton is good friend Tommy Paul who is another American bidding to reach the Nitto ATP Finals. The 12^th seed needs to reach the final at minimum in order to book his place in Turin. A big win over Quentin Halys sealed a trio of American wins over French players to reach the last eight. Having never reached ATP’s showpiece event, Paul would love nothing more than to reward his hard work and compete with the best players in the world at the last ATP event of the year.

Shelton will aim to serve aggressively but will need to be patient with the forehand and will need to be smart with what pace he uses from the baseline. Meanwhile, Paul will look to extend the rallies and will aim to attack the second serves. This will be a competitive match with Shelton’s clutch serving on big points securing him a place in the semi-finals.

Prediction: Shelton in straight sets.

Casper Ruud v Nuno Borges [LL] H2H & Match Fundamentals

One of Casper Ruud’s underrated surfaces is indoor hard courts and the Norwegian is proving that once again. The former semi-finalist at the Nitto ATP Finals has proven that he is a formidable force on the surface and has beaten Rafael Jodar and the in-form Jan-Lennard Struff on his way to the quarter-finals. Having had a dip in form this season, Ruud will be hoping for a strong end to the season as he looks for another Masters 1000 semi-final.

The next task for Ruud is lucky loser Nuno Borges who is into his first Masters 1000 quarter-final of his career. Taking the most of his opportunity, Borges has defeated Karen Khachanov on his way to the last eight. No sets have been dropped so far from Borges as he has played aggressive, proactive and consistent tennis. Now, Borges aims to continue his dream run and reach the semi-finals.

Ruud will aim to serve aggressively and look to set up the forehand on the shot after the serve. Meanwhile, Borges will use the backhand to set up the shorter ball from Ruud and will target the second serve. This will be a close contest but Ruud should have enough quality on serve to edge into the last four.

Prediction: Ruud in three sets.

Luca Van Assche v Rinky Hijikata [Q] H2H & Match Fundamentals

Is Luca Van Assche finally achieving his potential? It was a brilliant performance from the talented Frenchman as he defeated the in-form Lorenzo Musetti to reach the Paris quarter-finals. A big serve mixed with a powerful backhand makes Van Assche a talented prospect and will now hope to make the most of a big opportunity on home soil.

Standing in Van Assche’s way is Rinky Hijikata with the Australian having a truly incredible tournament. The qualifier will rise into the world’s top 60 after defeating Novak Djokovic while also coming back to defeat Tomas Martin Etcheverry. The Australian has been clinical on both serve and return this week as he looks to continue his form and reach a first Masters 1000 semi-final.

Van Assche will aim to be aggressive on serve as the Frenchman will use the backhand to force errors from Hijikata’s game. Meanwhile, Hijikata will serve aggressively and look to dominate proceedings at the net. This will be a close contest but Van Assche will elevate his game on home soil and reach the semi-finals.

Prediction: Van Assche in three sets.

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