Shelton got revenge on Rinderknecht, who beat him 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4) at Queen’s in 2025 in their only previous meeting, the Frenchman’s first win over a top-10 player. The American is the first player from his country to reach back-to-back quarterfinals in Paris since Jack Sock (2016-18), according to the ATP.
It’s his eighth ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and his second of the season as he swept Montreal without dropping a set. It’s also his 43rd win of 2026, a personal best for a season. in Race to Turinwhere he is already qualified, the victory brings Shelton to 4720 points.
Shelton: “Beautiful clinic”
“I thought it was pretty clinical, apart from the one game I served in the second set that I was disappointed with,” Shelton told Tennis Channel after the match. “I was happy with the flexibility.”
“I thought I was playing clean. I’m back good. I played as aggressive as I needed to, but I didn’t play too much,” he added to the press, adding that on a fast indoor court you have to be able to balance playing with speed at times, taking your foot off the gas and managing the speed that comes at you.
How Shelton Turned the Tie Break
The match lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes, of which 1 hour was in the deciding set, in which neither player dropped serve. Rinderknecht saved two break points at 2-2 and 3-3. In the tiebreak, the Frenchman took a mini-break to lead 4-2, but Shelton won the next point on Rinderknecht’s serve, then the next two on his own. At 5-5, he broke a point on Rinderknecht’s serve to earn a match point and converted it on his own serve.
Rinderknecht took the first set in 27 minutes, dropping just three points on her serve and winning all eight of her points at the net to break Shelton 4-2. Shelton tied the score by breaking Rinderknecht in the final game of the second set, 5-4, a set in which she committed just one unforced error.
Both players served 16 aces. Rinderknecht hit more winners (38 of 41) and won 25 of her 38 points at the net, but committed 31 unforced errors to Shelton’s 13.
“relaxation” in the final set tie-break
Asked if he was worried when he was down a mini-break in the deciding tiebreak, Shelton said, “Honestly, not today. I hadn’t missed the first serve in the breaker and was hitting points. I got some great volleys in the breaker, but I liked the two points and I was able to get my chances back. winning position and close it out. Sometimes when I’m in that position, I definitely feel the nerves, but today there was a kind of calmness in me in those final moments.”
He also enjoyed putting on a Frenchman’s face in front of a Frenchman’s crowd. “I think the French players are definitely playing inspired tennis here, playing some of their best tennis, and the crowd is totally behind them and giving them a lot of energy,” he said. “But at the same time, I love being a part of it. So in some ways, yes, I think it’s hard, but for me it’s just more fun.”
After counting the balls, Shelton said Paris was “definitely not the fastest tournament of the year,” but he liked the tennis the court produced. “Playing against a guy like Rinderknecht today who plays very well and is very good at the net, you get to see different types of tennis and work on passing shots and lobs, so many different skills,” he said. “It can be overwhelming and difficult to get through the first game or two.”
Shelton follows Paul in Paris
He and Paul are tied 2-2 against each other. Shelton won their meetings at the 2023 US Open and the same year in Tokyo, and Paul won the most recent, 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals in Dallas in 2024.
Earlier in the week, Rinderknecht defeated Argentine Francisco Cherundolo 3:6, 7:6 (2), 2:0 and Italian Mattia Bellucci 6:4, 6:1. The 31-year-old was chasing a second ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after reaching the final in Shanghai last year. He is now 0-7 against top 10 players in 2026.
Rolex Paris Masters 2026 third round results
Lorenzo Musetti vs Luca Van Assche (Thursday)
Rinki Hijikata (Q) vs Thomas Martin Etcheverry (Thursday)
Ben Shelton (3) d. Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Tommy Paul (12) d. Quentin Hallis 7-6 (3), 6-4
Jan-Lennard Straff (SE) vs Kasper Ruud (Thursday)
Nuno Borges (LL) x Ignacio Bus (Thursday)
Arthur Fils (6) vs Taylor Fritz (11) (Thursday)
Carlos Alcaraz (2) d. Matteo Berettini, walker
In bold. today’s results.