What a week it has been for Van Assche. The Frenchman trailed Hijikata by an early break in the third set on Friday but, with the help of the home crowd, never stopped fighting, closing out the quarterfinal 7-5. His run here caps the best stretch of his career, a first ATP title in Estoril in July and now a Masters 1000 semifinal that lifts him to a career-high #34 in the live rankings.
Shelton's tennis this week has mostly gone under the radar, second fiddle to the news that Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz's former coach, will be joining his team in 2027. If anything, that seems to have refocused him after early exits in Shanghai and Basel. He is now into a maiden semifinal at this event. On Friday he ended fellow American Tommy Paul's Turin hopes in the quarterfinals.
The story coming in has been Van Assche, but he has never beaten a top-10 player and does not possess the weapons of a Ben Shelton. The American's serve will always give him free points and put him at a clear advantage in tiebreaks. Shelton is a big-match player who you can expect to rise to the moment, especially as a heavy favorite. His return may never be elite but he's shown improvements and will like his chances of reaching the final without dropping a set. Just maybe against Alcaraz. Drama.
Shelton vs Van Assche prediction: Shelton -1.5 sets (-120) available at time of publishing.
