Ben Shelton rallied from a set down and a break down in the decider to beat Frenchman Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the Paris Masters final on Saturday, setting up a rematch with Carlos Alcaraz.
Van Assche, the 22-year-old world No. 47 playing his first Masters 1000 semi-final in front of a home crowd, took the only break of the first set to lead 6-5 and closed it 7-5, according to Reuters and Sportsnet. Shelton, the US Open finalist, made 17 unforced errors in that opening set and looked short of rhythm.
But the American found his game when it mattered, breaking Van Assche to take the second set and then recovering from 3-1 down in the decider to win in two hours and 16 minutes.
Shelton’s great escape
Van Assche had the Paris crowd believing in another upset when he broke Shelton’s serve for a 3-1 lead in the third set. The Frenchman, who had beaten Lorenzo Musetti in the last 16 and qualifier Rinky Hijikata in the quarter-finals, was two games from the biggest win of his career.
Shelton had other ideas. He recovered the break, steadied his serve, and smiled when his 19th ace of the match made it 5-3 on his way to closing out the victory. He finished with 44 winners and won 83 per cent of his first-serve points.
It is Shelton’s third ATP Masters 1000 final and his sixth ATP Tour final of the 2026 season. He is now 45-18 for the year.
Van Assche’s dream week ends
Van Assche leaves Paris with his head held high. The Frenchman reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final, beat a top-20 player along the way, and took a set off one of the best players in the world in front of his home crowd.
He will climb the rankings on the back of this week, and his performance against Shelton — a set and a break up in the decider — showed he belongs at this level.
The final: a US Open rematch
Sunday’s final is a rematch of the US Open quarter-final, a five-set marathon won by Shelton 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in four hours and 28 minutes, ending at 3:33am. Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 3-1, but he lost the last meeting — and he will be looking for revenge in Paris.
Related coverage: Shelton Beats Paul as Van Assche Reaches First Masters Semi | Alcaraz Beats Ruud 6-4 6-4 to Reach First Paris Masters Final
