Shelton Beats Van Assche to Reach Paris Final

Ben Shelton was down a set and down a break in the decider when Luca Van Assche finally blinked. Two errors and a double fault handed the break back, Shelton broke again for 4-3, and he closed out five of the last six games to beat the home hope 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday at the Rolex Paris Masters, the ATP Tour reported. The third seed is into the Paris final in 2 hours and 16 minutes.

Van Assche, the World No. 47, was playing his first Masters 1000 semifinal in front of a roaring Plenitude Arena crowd. Shelton is already Turin-qualified and sitting fourth in the Race, and this was his third straight three-set win in Paris after Rinderknech and Tommy Paul.

From 1-3 Down in the Third

Shelton’s first set was messy. Forehand unforced errors piled up, Van Assche took the only break in the 11th game, and the Frenchman served it out 7-5. Shelton then changed the plan: fewer forced winners, longer rallies, and more pressure on Van Assche’s serve. He took the only break of the second set in the sixth game and leveled the match.

Van Assche still punched first in the third, breaking for 3-1 with a return winner. That was the last real surge. Shelton won 83 percent of his first-serve points (53 of 64) and kept finding the short window he talked about after the match.

Sixth Final of the Season

This is Shelton’s sixth tour-level final of 2026, tied with Jannik Sinner for the most on Tour, and his third Masters 1000 final. He already owns Masters titles in Toronto (2025) and Montreal (2026). He is the first American Paris finalist since Jack Sock won it in 2017.

Sunday’s final is against the winner of Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud, a semifinal that was still unfinished when Shelton walked off Court Central.

Van Assche made Shelton earn every late hold. The Frenchman kept extending rallies even after the break-back, and Shelton had to trust the first serve instead of hunting highlight winners. That patience is what got him through Paul on Friday and through this semifinal too.

Paris Final Sunday

Shelton has already locked Turin. The trophy is the next target, and he has been winning the hard indoor points when the set stretches.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean Shelton to take a set in the Paris final. He has gone the distance three straight matches here and is winning 83 percent behind the first serve. If Alcaraz reaches the final and Shelton’s first-serve rate dips under 70 percent early, pivot to games over in the opening set instead.