Ben Shelton beats Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to reach Paris Masters final

Shelton edges a close semi-final

Ben Shelton reached the final of the Paris Masters on Saturday, 7 November, after beating Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the first semi-final at the Plénitude Arena. Notícias ao Minuto put the match at two hours and 17 minutes. Le Monde.fr described Van Assche as the last French player left in the draw, and said he pushed Shelton to the limit before losing. Van Assche won the opening set and then lost the next two. The 24-year-old American is ranked fourth in the world, while the Frenchman had earlier beaten Learner Tien and Lorenzo Musetti, results 20minutes described as a surprise to many.

Serving and rallies

Shelton finished with 19 aces, and 20minutes reported that Van Assche won only 55% of his first serves. The first ball did little for the Frenchman, who spent much of the match absorbing the American's power from the baseline. Even so, Van Assche returned a great deal and kept the rallies long, which the envoy described as a trench battle. He had already played two marathon matches earlier in the week, and that effort eventually wore him down. He broke Shelton's serve late in a set but could not sustain the level and cracked at the end.

Van Assche's view and ranking

Van Assche said he still believes he can beat players of this level, and that he has plenty of room to improve. He has not yet decided whether he will play the Stockholm tournament next week, according to 20minutes.

“I know I have the level to play these guys and win these matches.”

Van Assche will be ranked 34th in the world on Monday, 9 November, according to 20minutes, about 300 places better than a year earlier. Notícias ao Minuto cites his ranking as 47th, so the articles give two different figures.

The road to the final

Shelton is chasing his third Masters 1000 title, after winning the Canada event twice, in 2025 and this year. His final opponent will be the winner of the match between Carlos Alcaraz, ranked third, and Casper Ruud, ranked 23rd. Ruud beat Portugal's Nuno Borges in the quarter-final on Friday, 6 November. Van Assche left Portugal at the end of July with the Estoril Open trophy, and his Paris run ends with a semi-final defeat.