Van Assche overcomes spirited Shelbayh in Next Gen Finals debut
The second-seeded Frenchman came through in four sets against Shelbayh in an entertaining group match in Jeddah.
Luca Van Assche competes at the 2023 Paris Masters © Chryslène Caillaud / Panoramic
Luca Van Assche got his debut Next Gen Finals campaign off to a winning start as he defeated Abedallah Shelbayh 4-3(5), (5)3-4, 4-1, 4-1 in Jeddah.
Victory takes the Frenchman to the top of the Red Group, with Alex Michelson and Hamad Medjedovic taking to the court in the second of the group’s opening round of matches.
Both players were making their maiden appearance at the season-ending event for the highest-ranked players aged 21 or under, but there was little sign of nerves from either as they showcased some of the best of their young talent in an entertaining match.
The Frenchman, seeded second in Jeddah at No 66 in the world, came out of the blocks the quickest with an early break but the young Jordanian played well above his ranking of 188th in the world, pegging Van Assche back and going toe-to-toe with the Frenchman throughout the first two sets.
Shelbayh hit an impressive total of 28 winners to his opponent’s 17, but it was the second seed who played the cleaner tennis, making only 19 unforced errors compared to the Jordanian’s 34.
The opener eventually went to the 19-year-old Van Assche on a tiebreak, before the second went to Shelbayh via the same route.
Shelbayh could not sustain the level, however, as the more experienced Van Assche – albeit a year younger than the 20-year-old Jordanian – made his greater ranking show by powering through the third and fourth sets to claim a win on his Next Gen Finals debut.
Shelbayh enjoys the support of a local crowd
With a competitive tournament taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the first time, Shelbayh had the unique experience of enjoying the support of the crowd as a player from neighbouring Jordan.
“It was a tough match today against a very good opponent,” Van Assche said in his post-match on-court interview.
“I know Abdellah very well. He is an amazing player. He was almost at home, the crowd were cheering for him.
“It was a good match for me, it was really tough from the beginning to the end.
“It’s very difficult to not have a warm-up. I just hit a couple of balls before I entered the court.”
