Djokovic gets revenge in Paris Masters semis

World No.1 defeats Rune in three sets

Novak Djokovic took his revenge over defending champion Holger Rune to reach the semifinals of the Paris Masters on Friday after a nearly threehour battle.

The Dane beat Djokovic in last year’s final but could not prevail this time. Djokovic won 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4.

The top-ranked Djokovic, a six-time champion at the Paris Masters, advanced to the last four for the ninth time.

Rune saved a match point when trailing 5-4 in the second set and played an excellent tiebreaker to level at one-set apiece but Djokovic raised his level in the decider, dropping just three points on his serve.

Djokovic secured an early break in the third set and then played aggressively to keep Rune well behind the baseline.

“It was quite a similar match to last year’s final, it was anybody’s game in every set,” Djokovic said.

“I played an awful tiebreak in the second set, probably the worst one this year. But again credit to him for staying mentally tough and playing solid. We have similar games. Move well, defend well and all-round players.”

Djokovic had a heated exchange with umpire Renaud Lichtenstein toward the end of the second set over a challenge by Rune and was booed by some sections of the lively Paris crowd after the Dane won the tiebreaker.

The result extended Djokovic’s winning streak to 16 matches. He will meet Andrey Rublev or Alex de Minaur for a place in the final.

WTA Tour

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year at the WTA Finals, holding on to defeat Elena Rybakina 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a round-robin match in Cancun, Mexico, that was repeatedly interrupted by rain the night before until being suspended late in the second set.