Shelton: “The game that I probably break most often is right after I get broken”
Third seed Ben Shelton trailed Luca Van Assche 3-1 in the final set of their Rolex Paris Masters semi-final on Saturday, broke straight back and won 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final. It was his second win from a set down this week, a habit the American would gladly do without.
Luca van Assche and Ben Shelton, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Michael Baucher / PsNewz
Third seed Ben Shelton knows when he is at his most dangerous: straight after losing his serve. The American came from a set and a break down to beat France’s Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours 16 minutes in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters 1000 on Saturday.
Van Assche broke for 3-1 in the third set. Shelton broke straight back for 3-2, held for 3-3 and broke again for 4-3.
“I think it was important that I put the ball on the court there and not give him a free game,” Shelton said at his press conference. “Try to put the pressure on. I think that the game that I probably break most often is right after I get broken. I am good at recovering in that way at times.”
“It’s not easy, obviously. There’s nerves, there’s the crowd, there’s so many different factors, but I was able to really dig in that game, not make any mistakes, put the return in the court when I got my racket on the ball, and it paid off for me,” he added. “That game kind of ignited me.”
Shelton, comeback specialist despite himself
It was Shelton’s second win from a set down this week, after his 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over Arthur Rinderknech in the last 16. He would rather not make a habit of it.
“I have had a lot of comeback wins,” he said. Winning the first set is something he would “like a lot better”, he admitted, “but sometimes it takes me a while to get going and find my best level. Today was a tough day. He was playing well. I was overplaying in the first set. It was just one of those days that you kind of had to find a way, and I’m happy that I was able to do that.”
The fix was patience. “I was going for too much on a lot of my shots, and once I became more patient and started realizing that I could win a lot longer rallies if I wasn’t swinging so hard at the forehand or trying to hit winners from bad places (…) I settled in,” Shelton said. “I started winning a lot of long rallies. My confidence grew, and I think that that’s kind of what got me through it in the end.”
Van Assche on the 3-1 game
Van Assche, the last Frenchman in the draw, admitted he let the break go too cheaply. “Obviously there are moments I could have managed better,” he said in French. “I didn’t play a great game and got broken back, but these things happen.”
Asked whether fatigue had played a part, he first said no. “I made a few mistakes in that game, but I have no regrets about it. I gave everything, I went for it, I may have made some bad tactical choices,” he said. “Then maybe, yes, it’s also a bit the accumulation of fatigue from the week.”
“Even though I got broken, it was still 3-2 to me in the third, so it wasn’t easy, because with the serve he has, breaking him took a lot of effort,” Van Assche went on. “I was a bit frustrated to lose that break so quickly, but I forced myself to keep that positive mindset.”
He refused to reduce the match to that one game. “Those are errors that cost a lot in the end. But that’s obviously not what made me lose the match. The match wasn’t decided on three or four points.”
Shelton fresh at season’s end
On Thursday, Shelton said this was the first week since the US Open in which he felt ready to compete at full strength. He put that down to his schedule.
“I took some decisions to skip certain tournaments, to stay at home a little bit longer and have some time to train, have a training block,” he said. “I think it’s tough at this point in the season to be a hundred percent still engaged, and I think because I’m having fun out here and enjoying myself, it makes things easier.”
Shelton faces Alcaraz or Ruud
Shelton will face second seed Carlos Alcaraz or Casper Ruud in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday. Their semi-final had just started when he came into his press conference.
“Obviously either way, a really tough matchup. Two guys who are playing really good tennis right now,” he said. “Casper’s played outstanding this week from beginning to now. I don’t know that he’s dropped a set yet, so I think he’s playing outstanding. Obviously Carlos speaks for himself (…) He’s playing great indoor tennis and entertaining tennis as well.”
“These are the positions that I want to be in, playing against the best players in the world, and I’m happy that I gave myself another opportunity to compete for a title.”
