Ben Shelton recovered from a set down to beat France’s Luca Van Assche 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 on Saturday, November 7, and reach the Paris Masters final in Paris, France.
The American, ranked fourth in the world, also had to overturn a break deficit in the deciding set. Van Assche led 3–1 before Shelton took control of the closing stages, ending the French player’s first run to a Masters 1000 semifinal.
The French Tennis Federation’s match account confirmed the three-set score and described how Shelton’s powerful forehand and serving helped reverse the contest. Van Assche made a double fault when giving back the break, followed later by a forehand error on the decisive break.
Van Assche, ranked 47th, had the backing of the crowd at the Plenitude Arena. He had already beaten Learner Tien and Lorenzo Musetti during his progress through the tournament, according to the federation’s account.
Shelton’s recovery put him into his third Masters 1000 final and made him the first American to reach the Paris title match since Jack Sock won the tournament in 2017. He entered the weekend with two Canadian Open titles at that level.
The result gives U.S. tennis another opportunity for a major tour title late in the season. Shelton’s opponent was still to be determined when the first semifinal report was published, with Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud due to contest the other semifinal later Saturday.
Sources: French Tennis Federation — November 7 official match account. Reuters — November 7 semifinal report.