Two Americans face off for a historic Paris semifinal spot.

Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul to collide in Paris quarterfinals.

Both Americans won their Round of 16 matches Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Shelton, the No. 3 seed, needed three sets to get past home favorite Arthur Rinderknech.

The score was 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Shelton broke the Frenchman's serve in the 10th game of the second set to extend the match.

From there, both players held serve until the tiebreaker.

Shelton rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the tiebreak and won on his first match point.

The match lasted two hours and five minutes.

Paul, the No. 12 seed, had a smoother path.

He defeated another Frenchman, Quentin Halys, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Paul won 43 of 45 first-service points — a staggering 95.6%.

He also hit 36 winners against only 14 unforced errors.

Paul has now won all three of his Paris matches in straight sets.

He beat Holger Rune 7-5, 6-4 in the first round and Daniel Merida 6-1, 6-1 in the second.

The quarterfinal is set for Friday, November 6, 2026.

The venue is La Défense Arena in Nanterre, France.

This is an ATP Masters 1000 event, the highest tier below the Grand Slams.

The total prize money is €6,309,095.

Shelton and Paul are tied 2-2 in their career head-to-head.

Paul won their most recent meeting in the 2024 Dallas Open semifinals.

Shelton, 24, is already a lock for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

He is the world No. 4.

A win in Paris would make Shelton the first American since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win multiple Masters 1000 titles in a single calendar year.

Shelton won the Canadian Open in August, beating Karen Khachanov in the final.

He also won the Canadian Open in 2025.

Roddick won back-to-back Masters titles in 2003 at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open.

Since 2004, six different American men have won Masters titles.

Those players are Roddick, Andre Agassi, Jack Sock, John Isner, Taylor Fritz and Shelton.

None of them won multiple Masters titles in the same calendar year.

Shelton has the chance to end that drought.

Paul, 28, is fighting for a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals.

He is No. 13 in the live Race to Turin standings.

Because Jannik Sinner is out for the season with an injury, only the top 9 finishers qualify instead of the usual 8.

Paul needs to finish 9th or better.

A deep run in Paris is critical for his chances.

Shelton spoke about facing his friend and fellow American.

"It's been a long time since we've been on the court, but I'm looking forward to it," Shelton said.

"He's in great form right now. A great player, a great friend. I've been rooting for him all year to make a push and make it to Turin. It will be fireworks (Friday)."

Both players are seeking their first semifinal appearance at the Paris Masters.

Shelton has had a standout year.

He made his first Masters 1000 appearance at the 2022 Cincinnati Open as a 19-year-old.

He won his debut match against qualifier Lorenzo Sonego and then stunned fifth seed Casper Ruud.

He fell to Cameron Norrie in the third round.

Now he is a top-5 player with a new coach for 2027: Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world No. 1 who coached Carlos Alcaraz.

Paul has been consistent throughout the Paris tournament.

His baseline control and return game have been sharp.

He has faced only one break point in his three matches.

Shelton relies on his left-handed serve and aggressive forehand to shorten rallies.

He committed just one unforced error in the second set against Rinderknech.

His ability to win the deciding tiebreak showed his composure under pressure.

The winner of Shelton-Paul will face either Luca Van Assche or Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals.

Van Assche is the only Frenchman still alive in the draw.

He battled past Italy's Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

On the other side of the draw, No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz advanced by beating No. 6 Arthur Fils 6-3, 6-4.