Ben Shelton and Luca Van Assche had reached their point in the 2026 season differently, though each was trying to be in a position to win their first Paris Masters title. Shelton had been ascending for a couple of years, and might now be a top-10 staple. Van Assche was trying to maintain a top-40 ranking.
Van Assche had the home crowd behind him, though, and he was playing intelligent tennis through most of two sets, placing his groundstrokes and serve well, despite not having elite power.
Shelton had helped Van Assche get a one-set lead by having far too many unforced errors in set one. He wasn't trying to power through every ball, but he was just missing some easy forehands. He might have been the better-skilled player overall, but the difference between the two was slight.
Ben Shelton defeats Luca Van Assche in the semifinals of the 2026 Paris Masters
After dropping the first set 7-5, Shelton cleaned up his game, cutting his unforced errors by a third and not facing any break points. He evened the match at 6-3, though nothing was certain for set three, especially with the crowd firmly behind the Frenchman.
Van Assche also appeared on the verge of claiming the biggest victory of his young career after breaking Shelton to lead 3-1 in the third set. After dominating points from the baseline in the opening set, he was back to doing that at the beginning of the third. Nerves might have gotten the better of him, however.
The Frenchman was not only playing for a first Masters 1000 final (he had never made it past the second round at any Masters before this year's Paris tournament), but he was trying to find a way to win in front of a national television audience in France. The pressure was real, and he suddenly appeared to feel it.
Shelton broke right back to get to 2-3, held, and then broke again. Quite quickly, the narrative of the match had changed, and after another hold, the American suddenly led 5-3.
The American was able to serve out the match 6-4, and is in a position to win his third Masters title. It was the 15th time this year that Shelton had lost the first set only to come back to win.
Ben Shelton will next play the winner of the Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud match in the final of the 2026 Paris Masters. Alcaraz, back in form after missing a lot of the year with a wrist injury, will be the favorite in both matches should he reach the final. Shelton did beat him at the US Open, though.
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