Luca Van Assche reached the Paris Masters semi-finals on Friday with a hard-fought three-set victory over Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata.
The Frenchman overcame Hijikata 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 at the Plenitude Arena to secure his place in the final four of the ATP Masters 1000 indoor tournament.
The quarter-final victory ensures that Van Assche will rise to at least world number 34 when the updated ATP rankings are published on Monday. The climb represents a gain of 204 ranking places within a single year for the player, who was ranked 238th in the world at the end of 2025.
Alongside his progress on the professional circuit, Van Assche is pursuing an intensive university education. He is currently in the second year of an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Computer Science for Decision Making and Organisations, known as the MIDO programme, at Paris-Dauphine-PSL University.
His academic coursework covers advanced subjects including linear algebra, probability and mathematical analysis. Van Assche has long defended his double life, having explained before the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah that even if he won 50 Grand Slam titles, he would not be able to play tennis until the age of 60. He said at the time that he continued to study mathematics because he loved the subject, adding that while balancing studies with tour life was demanding, he was managing the workload well.
Academic arrangements at Paris-Dauphine
Van Assche is able to maintain both commitments through the Talents programme at Paris-Dauphine-PSL University, a pathway established to enable elite athletes to combine their sporting careers with demanding higher education.
Stephane Boutillier, a physical education teacher and coordinator for elite athletes at Paris-Dauphine-PSL, explained that the university is highly selective and ranks among the top five institutions in the world in its field. Boutillier noted that under standard Talents programme rules, the first two years of the degree are spread over three years, but the timetable can be extended much further for an athlete competing on the international stage.
Under the agreement, the university provides lecturers who deliver lessons according to Van Assche's schedule, allowing him to attend online classes between training sessions and tournaments across the world. However, Boutillier emphasised that the academic standard is strictly maintained. Van Assche sits the same degree examinations as every other student, with no adjustments made to the difficulty of the papers, ensuring that his eventual degree holds the exact same academic value.
Morning examination before Wimbledon
The dual commitment has occasionally produced unusual logistics. Boutillier recalled an occasion when Van Assche sat a university examination at 7:00 am at the French Tennis Federation National Training Centre in Paris, completing the paper at 9:00 am.
A taxi then took the player directly to the Gare du Nord railway station, where he boarded a 10:30 am train to London to take part in the Wimbledon Championships.
Boutillier said the drive to pursue both fields came from the player himself. Following discussions with Van Assche and his parents prior to his admission at Dauphine, the coordinator saw that the tennis player needed intellectual stimulation away from the court. Boutillier explained that Van Assche required a personal balance tied to high-level mathematics, needing a mental break from professional athletics through rigorous higher education.
Work ethic and ranking recovery
That dedication remained intact even during difficult moments on the tennis tour. After breaking into the world top 100 early in his career, Van Assche suffered a drop in form that saw him slide beyond 300th in the world rankings last year, yet he did not pause his studies.
Boutillier pointed to Van Assche's capacity for hard work as his greatest quality in both sport and academia, describing him as a relentless worker who never shies away from a task and who regularly asks for additional coursework during the summer break.
Van Assche's quarter-final win in Paris also formed part of a successful week for French tennis at the indoor tournament, where fellow French players Arthur Fils and Quentin Halys both reached the third round.
Statistical analysis and coaching perspective
Van Assche's mathematical training has increasingly crossed over into his tennis, with the player paying close attention to statistical analysis of his matches.
His coach, Sebastien Villette, told the French sports daily L'Equipe that while Van Assche enjoys reflecting and analysing details, that analytical approach must not come at the expense of his physical attributes, which are at least as strong as his intellect. Villette remarked that overthinking does not always assist a player on court, noting that Van Assche had at times sought out complex solutions to problems that did not exist, describing the habit as typical behaviour for a mathematician.
Van Assche now advances to the semi-finals of the Paris Masters as he continues one of the most unusual dual careers in professional sport.
