Van Assche's Paris Run Ends as Shelton Reaches Final

Overview

• Ben Shelton defeated Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the Rolex Paris Masters final and will face Carlos Alcaraz for the title.
• Van Assche reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal after beating Mariano Navone, Learner Tien, Lorenzo Musetti and qualifier Rinky Hijikata, the latter in a 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 quarterfinal.
• The 22-year-old will move to about No. 34 in the next ATP rankings, his first time inside the top 40 and the culmination of a comeback from a 2025 low of No. 238.
• Carlos Alcaraz reached the final after saving two match points to beat Taylor Fritz and then defeating Casper Ruud, giving him strong momentum heading into Sunday’s match.
• The Paris results have quick implications for seedings and the year-end race because Masters 1000 points reshape rankings; Van Assche is considering Stockholm for more points while players such as Fritz face setbacks in the battle for Turin qualification.