Paris (France) (AFP) – The beautiful story of Luca Van Assche, 47th in the world and the last Frenchman competing at the Masters 1000 in Paris, ended on Saturday in the semi-final, overthrown 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 by the American Ben Shelton (4th).

Published on: 07/11/2026 - 18:50

Winner of his first title on the ATP circuit in Estoril in July, Van Assche played his first half in Masters 1000 at the age of 22, and became the 12th Habs to reach the final four in Paris.

“This week is super important for me because I was able to string together five matches at a very high level. It will give me confidence and ways to work for next year,” rejoiced the future French N.2, who will be 34th in the world on Monday, the highest ranking of his career.

This beautiful run is the last act of the young Frenchman's rebirth this season after a dark year in 2025, during which he suffered a series of injuries and a crisis of confidence, falling to 238th place.

The former world No.1 among young people is not surprised by his epic in Paris: “I know that I have the level to play these guys and to win these matches,” he said.

He showed it well in the first set, exemplary despite Shelton's powerful serving shots. He pushed the American to make a mistake, who was very clumsy at the start of the match and who missed a forehand which meant a break for Van Assche, at 6-5.

Then, the latter did not tremble and converted his first set point on Shelton's 17th unforced error.

“Accumulation of fatigue”

The American then found quality in his shots and was more regular in the long rallies. At 3 games to 2, he worked hard to bring Van Assche to the net and trap him with a passing pass to lead 4-2. He held his break in advance to get back to a set everywhere.

In the decisive round, the fatigue of the two previous rounds - 2h45 against Rinky Hijikata in the quarters and 2h38 of battle against Lorenzo Musetti in the 8th - seemed to weigh on the Frenchman's body.

"I have no regrets. I may have made bad tactical choices. Afterwards, maybe yes, it's also the accumulation of fatigue from the week," he admitted.

While "LVA" broke first to lead 3 games to 1, Shelton managed to erase his delay in stride, helped by Van Assche's double fault at 15-40.

“It's not necessarily easy because with the serve he has, it took a lot of effort to break him. So, I'm a little frustrated to lose this break so quickly,” he detailed.

At 3-3, he pushed even more on the Frenchman, who gave in with a forehand on Shelton's fourth break point in the game. The American then rolled out to conclude the match in 2H16.

For his first final in Paris, the 24-year-old American will face the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (3rd) or the Norwegian Casper Ruud (23rd) on Sunday.

What’s next for Van Assche? Currently, the Frenchman is still registered for the Stockholm tournament (ATP 250), which could allow him to gain valuable points to reach 32nd place in the world, offering top seed status for the Australian Open next January.

"I'm still registered. I'm going to take stock with my team to see the positive and negative things (the advantages and disadvantages, Editor's note) of playing in Stockholm," he explained.

© 2026 AFP

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