Ben Shelton needed three sets to defeat Luca Van Assche and book his place in the final of the Paris Masters.

Shelton lost the first set 7-5, but battled back to win the next two 6-3, 6-4 to continue his excellent 2026 campaign so far.

The American will now await the winner of Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud in the other semifinal as he looks to win the Paris Masters for the first time in his career.

As a result of reaching yet another final on the ATP Tour this year, Shelton has now equalled a Jannik Sinner record in the 2026 season.

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Shelton’s final appearance at the Paris Masters is his sixth of the year, which is the joint-most on the ATP Tour this season.

The American has reached the final of the Paris Masters, the US Open, the Canadian Open, the Stuttgart Open, the Munich Open, and the Dallas Open.

Sinner, meanwhile, reached the final of Indian Wells, the Miami Open, the Monte Carlo Masters, the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and Wimbledon.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Shelton reflected on his victory against Van Assche and his first final at the Paris Masters.

“I thought Luca was playing great. He was really consistent, really good on the move, and I started forcing my shots. I made a significant amount of unforced errors in the first set and I just needed to cut out those errors,” said Shelton.

“To be a little bit more solid, to use the speed of the court to my advantage instead of fighting it and I really found rhythm. I started to return better, I was getting into his service games, and I got better and better as the match went on.

“It’s tough out here, the players are so good. When you see the finish line, it’s not easy to close it out. I experienced the exact same thing yesterday against Tommy, getting broken the first game of the second set after winning the first.”

The world No 4 continued: “Sometimes that’s just the way it goes, so for me, I know there’s probably going to be some crack, some little chance that I can execute. If I can be brave and keep on with my serve and stick with the guy until there is a small let-up or window.

“I like my chances, so I think my competitiveness is one of the best parts of my game. It sometimes keeps me in matches when I’m not playing great, but there’s still a lot to work on.”

Following the Paris Masters, Shelton will head to the ATP Finals in Turin. That tournament begins on November 15th.