Van Assche beats Musetti to reach first Masters 1000 quarter-final

AI-generated illustration.

Luca Van Assche reached the first Masters 1000 quarter-final of his career on Thursday, defeating Lorenzo Musetti 7–5, 3–6, 6–4 at the Paris Masters. The 22-year-old Frenchman prevailed after two hours and 38 minutes on the main court at the Plenitude Arena.

Van Assche, ranked 47th, halted an opponent who had beaten new world No. 1 Alexander Zverev in the previous round. Musetti, the world No. 24, could not repeat that performance as the home player held firm at the decisive moments.

The opening set changed direction twice before Van Assche took control. He broke for a 4–2 lead, immediately lost his serve and was pulled back to 4–4. After holding for 6–5, however, he created three set points on Musetti’s serve and converted the third.

Musetti responded by breaking in the third game of the second set. The Italian maintained that advantage and broke again to level the match, setting up a deciding set that stayed on serve until its closing stages.

Van Assche’s most important escape came while trailing 4–3 in the third. Facing two break points, he relied on his first serve to keep the contest level. He then broke Musetti and served out the victory without conceding a point in the final game.

The result reversed their recent quarter-final meeting in Lyon, where Musetti had won a three-set contest. Van Assche had already beaten Mariano Navone and Learner Tien during this week’s Paris run.

He will next face Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata. The French tennis federation said Thursday’s victory also assured Van Assche a place inside the world’s top 40 when the rankings are next updated.

Sources

• FFT: Van Assche reaches his first Masters 1000 quarter-final (2026-11-05)
• Corriere dello Sport: Musetti–Van Assche match report and live account (2026-11-05)
• Paris Masters: Official schedule and completed match result