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Sport

Paris Masters: Van Assche comes close to an upset, Shelton into the final

The 22-year-old Frenchman lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the semi-final after leading 3-1 in the final set. Shelton will face Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Casper Ruud, on Sunday at 3pm.

By The newsroomPublished 7 November at 16:45 · Updated 8 November at 01:25
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Luca Van Assche at the US Open in 2023, file photo
Photo : Hameltion / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The dream ends one step short of the final. Luca Van Assche lost on Saturday to American Ben Shelton, the world number 4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 after more than two hours of play at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre.

The Frenchman had taken the first set and led 3-1 in the third after a break. Shelton fought back thanks to his serve and forehand, capitalising on a double fault when breaking back, then on a forehand error by Van Assche on the decisive break, the FFT reports.

An extraordinary week

At 22, Van Assche was playing his first Masters 1000 semi-final. He had got there by beating Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, then qualifier Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-7, 7-5.

According to Univers Tennis, he is the second-youngest Frenchman to reach this stage in Paris, after Richard Gasquet in 2007. Ranked 47th in the world before the tournament, he should finish the season in the top 40, the FFT estimates, a projection that remains to be confirmed.

Alcaraz delivers

Shelton will face Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The Spaniard beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the other semi-final, proving unbreakable on serve, according to We Love Tennis. On Friday, he had saved two match points against Taylor Fritz (6-7, 7-5, 6-3).

It is his first final in Paris. He had never gone beyond the quarter-finals at this tournament, he reminded the crowd on court.

Carlos Alcaraz said he was really happy and proud of himself, adding that this tournament had always been very difficult for him, according to We Love Tennis.

The Alcaraz-Shelton final will be played on Sunday at 3pm.

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Sources

#Tennis#Luca Van Assche#Ben Shelton#Rolex Paris Masters#Carlos Alcaraz#Casper Ruud

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