The 2026 Rolex Paris Masters delivered plenty more drama on Friday, with Carlos Alcaraz saving two match points against Taylor Fritz, while Ben Shelton, Luca Van Assche and Casper Ruud all booked their places in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz produced the comeback of the day, recovering from a set and 5-3 down against Fritz to snatch victory and end the American’s ATP Finals qualification hopes. That result also confirmed Rafael Jódar’s place in Turin after a sequence of results went his way throughout the week.
Elsewhere, Shelton defeated Tommy Paul to end his Turin hopes and secure Frances Tiafoe’s qualification, while Van Assche continued his run on home soil with another three-set victory, this time against qualifier Rinky Hijikata.
Ruud also maintained his surprisingly good form on the indoor courts, ending lucky loser Nuno Borges’ run to set up a semi-final against Alcaraz.
Below is a look at Friday’s quarter-final results, stats, highlights and Saturday’s semi-final lineup, with a French finalist still a possibility.
Day Five Paris Masters Quarter-Final Results
Quarter-Final Recap
Luca Van Assche def. Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-5
Luca Van Assche continued his run in Paris with another hard-fought victory, defeating Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-7(4), 7-5 in two hours and 44 minutes to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final.
The Frenchman was the more consistent player early on, serving well and winning 85% of points behind his first delivery in the opening set.
He took it 6-4, but Hijikata has made a habit of starting slowly this week, then finding his groove, coming from a set down against Novak Djokovic and Tomás Martín Etcheverry.
That trend looked set to continue as the Aussie broke early in the second set to move 3-1 ahead. Van Assche broke back with the crowd behind him, but Hijikata held his nerve in the tie-break, eventually taking it 7-4 to force a decider.
The Australian then made another fast start, moving 2-0 ahead in the third, and it looked as though his run from qualifying might continue.
However, Van Assche dug himself out of trouble, and at 6-5, Hijikata finally cracked. A double fault helped hand Van Assche three match points, and the Frenchman took advantage to secure the decisive break to love.
Van Assche’s rise over the last 12 months has been rapid. He was outside the top 170 this time last year, but is now projected to reach a career-high No. 34 and is living up to some of the promise he showed when he won the Junior Roland Garros title in 2021.
He’ll now face Ben Shelton, which is another considerable step up, especially given the American’s serve on these quick courts.
Match Stats
Highlights
Ben Shelton def. Tommy Paul 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
Ben Shelton ended Tommy Paul’s ATP Finals qualification hopes with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory in an hour and 46 minutes.
The opening set was largely a serving contest (in fact, most of the match was, with only a handful of rallies over 9 shots), and neither player offered much on return until Paul served at 4-5.
Unfortunately for Paul, two double faults and a few loose errors gave Shelton the opportunity he needed, and the left-hander finished the set with an aggressive forehand return winner.
Paul responded well in the second, breaking early to take a 3-1 lead and holding firm despite Shelton firing down eight aces.
The American levelled the match at one set apiece, but his hopes of completing the comeback unravelled in the fourth game of the decider.
Another double fault and two unforced errors gifted Shelton the break, and from there the third seed was never particularly troubled on serve.
Shelton finished with 19 aces and converted two of his four break-point opportunities to book his place in the semi-finals.
It’s a good win for Shelton, but for Paul, it’s one of his customary type losses. You always feel like he’s not a great closer, and his 57% win rate in deciding sets isn’t among the best. Those key games he lost were donated, and it’s not like he needed to serve lights out against a guy whose return game does little damage.
The defeat also ends his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals and confirms Frances Tiafoe’s place in Turin.
Match Stats
Highlights
Carlos Alcaraz def. Taylor Fritz 6-7(10), 7-5, 6-3
Carlos Alcaraz somehow kept his Paris Masters title hopes alive, saving two match points to defeat Taylor Fritz in a thrilling quarter-final lasting two hours and 45 minutes.
The Spaniard made the better start, breaking at 2-2 in the opening set, but Fritz recovered from 3-5 down and reeled off 11 consecutive points to move ahead 6-5.
The set eventually went to a tie-break, where Fritz saved three set points before taking it 12-10.
Alcaraz was making too many errors, and Fritz looked increasingly comfortable from the baseline. The American kept the pressure on in the second set, eventually moving 5-3 ahead and within touching distance of a huge victory.
However, it all went badly wrong. Fritz had his first match point on the Spaniard’s serve at 5-3, but Alcaraz saved it with an excellent forehand before producing a ridiculous drop shot to hold for 4-5.
The American then had another match point on his own serve, but hesitated, chose not to take the ball on the volley, and watched Alcaraz hit a forehand passing winner to stay alive.
From there, the momentum completely shifted. Alcaraz broke back, won the next two games to take the set 7-5, and Fritz looked fully aware he’d let a golden opportunity slip away.
The deciding set was much more straightforward, with Alcaraz cutting down the errors and looking the fresher of the two players as he completed the comeback 6-3.
It was a remarkable escape, but it’s hard to see how Fritz didn’t win that one. He played excellent tennis for much of the match, yet when it came time to finish the job, he couldn’t find the points he needed.
To be fair, he gave Alcaraz a far tougher match than I expected, but if he was more competent up at net, then that match point is a simple volley to get the job done.
The loss also ends Fritz’s ATP Finals qualification hopes, confirming Rafael Jódar as the eighth and final player for Turin.
Jódar looked like he’d messed things up for himself, but everything has fallen into place: De Minaur lost to Etcheverry (a poor loss), and Novak crashed out to Jódar (a very poor match from him), and Fritz missed two match points.
Three separate scenarios that you wouldn’t back against for someone to knock Jódar out of the qualifying positions, and all three went his way.
Match Stats
Highlights
Casper Ruud def. Nuno Borges 7-6(5), 6-4
Casper Ruud continued his impressive week in Paris with a straight-sets victory over lucky loser Nuno Borges, reaching his first semi-final at the tournament.
Borges had beaten him in Basel just a couple of weeks ago but he didn’t quite find his best tennis here.
The opening set was dominated by serve, with neither player facing a break point. Ruud eventually edged the tie-break 7-5, despite actually winning fewer points in the set, 38 to Borges’ 40.
The second set was similarly tight until Borges earned the first break point of the match at 3-2, but Ruud saved it with a forehand that clipped the line.
That was Borges’s only real chance, as he handed over the decisive break in the next game with a forehand into the net.
Ruud, who had his knees taped, needed some treatment from the physio towards the end, but managed to close out the match 7-6(5), 6-4 in an hour and 32 minutes.
Ruud has been playing well enough to make it competitive, particularly if Alcaraz produces the sort of inconsistent tennis we saw against Fritz, but I don’t really see it.
Match Stats
Highlights
Paris Masters Day 6 Semi-Final Matches
Paris Masters Semi-Final Schedule – Saturday 7 November 2026
All times local (CET). Matches listed in main-draw order. The schedule begins with a doubles semi-final at 12:00. Times are subject to change.
