Tight battle

Shelton defeats Rublev in Paris

7-6(6) 6-3

Ben Shelton defeated A. Rublev 7-6(6) 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Paris ATP singles event on hard court. The opening set went to a tiebreak, where Shelton closed it out 8-6 after Rublev pushed it to 6-6, before Shelton pulled away more comfortably in the second. The win came in the round of 16 at the Paris indoor hard-court tournament on October 30, 2025.

Match context

Why this one matters

A win in a 1/8 finals match at Paris on hard courts is another data point in the argument Shelton's game keeps making: that first-strike tennis — the serve, the forehand behind it, the forward pressure — holds up week over week, not just on highlight reels.

  • 7-6(6) tiebreak win in set 1
  • Pulled away 6-3 in set 2
  • Advance to Paris quarterfinals

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