Shelton Powers Past Norrie in Straight Sets to Reach Paris Masters Last 16

Ben Shelton continued his strong autumn form with a composed 6-3, 6-4 victory over Cameron Norrie in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Tuesday night. The third-seeded American was rarely troubled on Court Central, taking the first set 6-3 before closing out the second 6-4 to reach the last 16 in Paris. Shelton praised the energy of the French crowd afterwards, and the win kept his own late-season push firmly on track as the race for the ATP Finals in Turin reaches its decisive week. Norrie, who had fought through his opening match earlier in the tournament, could not find a way past Shelton's serve and power from the baseline, and the Briton's run ended at the second-round stage. Shelton will now face either Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci or home favourite Arthur Rinderknech for a place in the quarter-finals, with that pair opening Wednesday's play on Court 1. The result also mattered in the wider context of the season, with Paris the final Masters 1000 event of the year and several players still jostling for the remaining spots at the eight-man finale in Turin from November 15 to 22.