Shelton reaches his first Masters 1000 final outside Canada, ending Van Assche’s Paris run
Ben Shelton came back from a break down in the decider to beat Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the Rolex Paris Masters final, his third at Masters 1000 level and the first outside Canada.
Ben Shelton, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Ch. Caillaud / PsNewz
Third seed Ben Shelton beat Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours and 16 minutes on Saturday to reach the final of the Rolex Paris Masters. It is the American’s third ATP Masters 1000 final, and his first outside Canada, after his titles in Toronto in 2025 and Montreal in 2026. On Sunday, he will face Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud.
He did it by coming from a break down in the decider. Van Assche, the last Frenchman in the draw, broke for 3-1 in the third set, but handed it straight back with two big errors and a double fault. Shelton levelled at 3-3 with a superb backhand down the line at the end of an intense rally.
The decisive game came next. Van Assche saved three break points, one with a serve and forehand, another with an ace, but a forehand volley into the net, a double fault and an overhit forehand gave Shelton the break for 4-3, on his fourth chance. The American, frustrated a quarter of an hour earlier, let out a huge roar.
Van Assche held with an ace for 4-5, and saved a first match point with a deep forehand. Shelton converted the second with a serve and a perfect forehand down the line.
The Frenchman had taken the first set 7-5 with the only break, at 5-5. Shelton levelled by breaking for 4-2 in the second set.
Shelton: “When we were that young, he was much, much better than me”
“Any tournament I play, I want to be competing at the end of the tournament, on the weekend, for the title. That’s what is important to me,” Shelton said on court. “It’s great to be able to play well at the biggest events, in such a cool arena like this. Tennis is nothing without you guys.”
Shelton paid tribute to his opponent on court. “Luca is a great player. I’ve known him since we were juniors, he was 16 years old. When we were that young, he was much, much better than me,” he said. “We practised together before this tournament, he was playing great already, so I wasn’t surprised to see him make such a great run here. Super nice guy. We don’t know each other super well, but we’ll see a lot of each other in the future.”
Shelton handles a tricky draw, fresh again since the US Open
Shelton has lived up to his seeding all week, through a demanding run. He beat Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4, came from a set down to beat Arthur Rinderknech in a final-set tie-break, beat Tommy Paul in three sets, then Van Assche in front of a crowd fully behind the Frenchman.
After a US Open final followed by early exits in Shanghai and Basel, he arrived in Paris refreshed. “Everyone is probably cooked,” he said on Thursday. “This is kind of the first week since the US Open that I’ve really felt 100 per cent ready to compete.”
It is his sixth final of the season and the 11th of his career (7-3). He is the first American in the Paris final since Jack Sock in 2017, and the first American man to reach several Masters 1000 finals in a season since Andy Roddick in 2010.
Ben Shelton’s finals in 2026
| Tournament | Category, surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | ATP 500, indoor hard | Taylor Fritz USA | W3-6, 6-3, 7-5 |
| Munich | ATP 500, clay | Flavio Cobolli ITA | W6-2, 7-5 |
| Stuttgart | ATP 250, grass | Taylor Fritz USA | W6-4, 2-6, 6-4 |
| Montreal | Masters 1000, hard | Brandon Nakashima USA | W6-3, 7-6 (4) |
| US Open | Grand Slam, hard | Alexander Zverev GER | L3-6, 6-7 (2), 7-5, 2-6 |
| Paris | Masters 1000, indoor hard | Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud | Sunday |
Scores from Shelton’s point of view. W: title. L: runner-up.
The American, who often turned towards his box during the match, explained why. “We’re trying to have fun out here. It’s late in the season, we’ve played a lot of tennis this year, and we find different ways to have fun,” he said. “When I play a fun point, an exciting point, I want to share that moment with my box over there, my whole team.”
Van Assche, still without a win against a top-10 player (0-6), leaves with the best ranking of his career. He is No. 34 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and the French No. 2, after wins over Mariano Navone, Learner Tien, Lorenzo Musetti and Rinky Hijikata.
Rolex Paris Masters 2026 semi-final results
Ben Shelton (3) d. Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
Carlos Alcaraz (2) vs Casper Ruud (Saturday)
