Shelton rallies in the 3rd set to reach Paris Masters final, faces either Alcaraz or Ruud

Ben Shelton rallied from a break down in the deciding set to beat Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the Paris Masters finalPARIS -- Ben Shelton rallied from a break down in the deciding set to beat Luca Van Assche 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the Paris Masters final on Saturday.The third-seeded American looked in trouble when the unseeded Frenchman broke his serve for a 3-1 lead in the third set.But the U.S. Open runner-up responded by winning the next four games to lead 5-3.After Van Assche held under pressure, Shelton served out the match to move closer to his fifth title of the year and eighth overall. The 24-year-old Shelton is on course for a third Masters title, having twice won the National Bank Open in Montreal.He faces the winner of Saturday's later semifinal between seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and three-time major runner-up Casper Ruud of Norway. The second-seeded Alcaraz saved two match points on Friday.The 22-year-old Van Assche was appearing in his first Masters semifinal and edged a tight first set. Shelton tied the match by completing a love hold with a sharp backhand volley at the net.Van Assche broke for a 3-1 lead when he returned Shelton's looping serve with a whipped forehand pass down the line.Popular ReadsBut Shelton broke straight back, held to love for 3-3 and then broke again as Van Assche appeared to flag physically. Shelton cracked a smile when his 19th ace of the match made it 5-3. Van Assche's only career title came earlier this year on outdoor clay at Estoril in Portugal.___See AP’s full tennis coverage hereSponsored Content by TaboolaPopular Reads