Shelton Rallies Past Van Assche to Reach Paris Masters Final

The drums never stopped. Every time Luca Van Assche won a point in the first set, the Paris crowd answered with a roar that rolled around Court Central like a wave, and for an hour it looked as though the 22-year-old Frenchman might ride it all the way to the final. Ben Shelton had other ideas. The American world number four steadied himself after a ragged start, wore Van Assche down in the long rallies, and came through 5-7 6-3 6-4 on Saturday to reach the Rolex Paris Masters final, the third Masters 1000 final of his career. It did not start well for Shelton. He netted twice from the baseline and pushed a forehand wide, and Van Assche, ranked 47th in the world and playing in front of his home crowd, took the only break of the set to go 6-5 up. Shelton had sprayed 17 unforced errors in the opener, and the match looked as though it might slip away from him. Then the American found his rhythm. He dragged Van Assche into long exchanges in the second set, forcing mistakes from a player who had thrived on short points, and broke to go 4-2 up, a lead that secured the set. The third set brought one more twist: Van Assche broke early and led 3-1, the crowd on its feet again. But Shelton turned the tide back in his favour, winning the next four games while Van Assche struggled with double faults and netted forehands. Shelton, 24, is the first American to reach the Paris Masters final since Jack Sock won the title in 2017. He will be chasing his third Masters 1000 crown on Sunday, having won the Canadian Open twice, and the win keeps alive a season that has already taken him to a US Open final. His road to the last four had already demanded plenty. He came through Tommy Paul in the quarter-finals, and the late finishes that have marked this Paris week — matches running past 11pm, physios working into the small hours — have tested every player left standing. Shelton's serve, the shot that has carried him since his college days at Florida, held up when it mattered most on Saturday, and his willingness to stay patient in the rallies, rather than swinging for a quick winner, was the difference against a younger opponent feeding off the crowd. For Van Assche, there was no shame in the defeat. A week that began with an upset of Lorenzo Musetti and continued through a first Masters 1000 semi-final ended against one of the best players in the world, and the Paris crowd stayed with him to the last ball. He leaves the tournament with his ranking and his reputation both heading sharply upward. Shelton will meet the winner of Saturday's second semi-final between world number three Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud in Sunday's final.