Van Assche avenges loss, shocks Musetti in Paris Masters quarterfinal.

Luca van Assche got his Lyon revenge on Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday to reach his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal in Paris.

The world No. 47 defeated the Italian 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 on Court Central at the Rolex Paris Masters.

He converted his first match point with a superb drop volley.

The match ended at 6:14 p.m. — a much more reasonable time than their last meeting.

Two weeks ago in Lyon, Musetti beat van Assche 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 in a 3-hour-32-minute marathon that finished at 1:17 a.m.

Musetti went on to win the Lyon title.

This time the Frenchman had the last word.

Van Assche broke at 4-4 in the deciding set after saving two break points at 15-40 in the previous game.

The Paris crowd chanted as he closed it out.

Van Assche saved the French afternoon at the tournament.

Earlier in the day on Court Central, Quentin Halys and Arthur Rinderknech had both lost.

Van Assche was the only French winner left standing.

“It was a childhood dream to play on a Court Central like this,” van Assche told the crowd on court.

“I went to Bercy several times to watch these players. Now it’s here, but I dreamt of it, and today to win in front of you is incredible. Thank you very much.”

“I’m very happy to be in the quarter-finals for the first time in my career. I hope it’s not the last one, it’s the first of many,” he said later in his press conference.

“Lorenzo is an incredible player. I’m starting to know him well now,” he added.

“[In Lyon] I played 3h30, today 2h30, so we’re starting to know each other on court. It’s still a really complicated match. I’m very happy with my performance and very proud.”

Van Assche now finds himself in a wide-open section of the draw.

Alexander Zverev, the new world No. 1, was already gone.

Musetti had knocked out Zverev in straight sets in the second round — Zverev’s first match as world No. 1.

That result created an unusual opening in van Assche’s quarter of the draw.

On Friday, van Assche will face qualifier Rinky Hijikata.

Hijikata knocked out Novak Djokovic on Wednesday.

He then defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry on Thursday.

On paper, this quarterfinal could have been Zverev against Djokovic.

Instead, it will be van Assche against Hijikata — two players who have never been this deep in a Masters 1000 event.

Van Assche will need to recover quickly.

“Physically, I won’t have any problem playing on Friday, but I have to take good care of my recovery to be in full shape tomorrow,” he said.

The Paris Masters is the ninth and final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

It is held annually at the Accor Arena in Bercy, Paris.

A Masters 1000 tournament is the highest level of ATP event below the Grand Slams and the ATP Finals.

There are nine such tournaments each year.

Winning one is considered a major career milestone for any professional player.

Van Assche, 21, is a French prospect who has been steadily climbing the rankings.

He reached a career-high ranking of world No. 47 earlier this year.

Musetti, 24, is ranked No. 18 and was considered the favorite going into this match.

The Italian had won their only previous meeting in Lyon.

That match was a physical battle that pushed both players to their limits.

Musetti went on to win the Lyon Open title, beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the final.

Thursday’s match was a different story.

Van Assche served more consistently and was sharper in the key moments.

The first set went to van Assche 7-5 after a single break of serve.

Musetti fought back to take the second set 6-3, leveling the match.

The deciding set was tight until 4-4.

Van Assche faced two break points at 15-40 in the ninth game.

He saved both and held serve.

In the next game, he broke Musetti to love and served out the match.

The crowd’s reaction was loud and sustained.

French tennis has been searching for a new star in the post-Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet era.

Van Assche is one of several young French players trying to fill that role.

Quentin Halys and Arthur Rinderknech, both French, lost their matches earlier on Thursday.

Van Assche was the last French hope remaining in the singles draw.

He delivered.

The win guarantees van Assche a significant ranking boost and prize money.

A Masters 1000 quarterfinal appearance earns at least 180 ranking points.

For context, that is more points than winning a Challenger tournament.

It also puts van Assche in position to qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals, the season-ending event for players under 21.

The quarterfinal against Hijikata is scheduled for Friday.