Rune to face Djokovic in first Masters final
NOVAK DJOKOVIC needed a third set tiebreak to squeeze past world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) on Saturday and reach the final of the Paris Masters.
The Serbian will face Danish teenager Holger Rune who earlier beat in-form Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2 to reach a first Masters final.
“It’s very sweet, obviously, when you win matches like this against one of the best players in the world,” said Djokovic, who is bidding for a record-extending seventh Paris crown and 39th Masters triumph.
An eighth successive win over the Greek, extended the Serbian’s overall winning streak to 13 matches.
Djokovic had the chance to take charge of the third set when he had two break points at 4-4. He was unable to convert either and the match went to the tiebreak.
After falling behind in a mini-break, Djokovic took the final four points to win the match after two hours 20 minutes on court.
“I thought I started the match very well, again, great hitting like yesterday in the quarters,” said Djokovic.
“I had chances early on in the second, I didn’t break his serve. The momentum shifted, the crowd got into it. I think he elevated his level of tennis.
“Deservedly so, we went into — both of us — into an even battle all the way until the last point, until the last shot. Some incredible points towards the end. I’m just really glad to overcome this challenge.”
In spite of the defeat, Tsitsipas can still finish the year as world No 1 if he wins the ATP Finals following Carlos Alcaraz’s decision to skip the Turin tournament because of the abdominal tear that forced him to retire from his quarterfinals against Rune.