Paris still has a Frenchman in the last four.

Luca Van Assche beat qualifier Rinky Hijikata 6-4 6-7 (4) 7-5 on Friday night at the Rolex Paris Masters to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

The home favorite needed 2 hours and 44 minutes on Court Central after trailing 0-2 in the deciding set.

Decider flip

Van Assche broke for the first set at 4-4 then lost a second-set tiebreak. Hijikata carried that momentum to a 2-0 lead in the third before the Frenchman reset.

At 6-5 on Hijikata's serve Van Assche ripped a forehand pass and forced a double fault for three match points. He sealed it on the first when Hijikata dumped a backhand volley into the net.

Shelton awaits

"I'm happy to have turned the situation around and it's a pleasure to win here in Paris" Van Assche said. The win lifts him toward the top 35.

He next faces third seed Ben Shelton who beat Tommy Paul earlier Friday. Hijikata leaves Paris inside the top 60 after a run that included a win over Novak Djokovic.