In a thrilling quarter-final showdown at the Bercy Arena, Novak Djokovic managed to avenge his defeat from last year’s Paris Masters final and secure a spot in the last four.
Despite missing a match point in the second set, the world number one claimed a hard-fought victory over Denmark’s Holger Rune, with a final score of 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4.
Djokovic, who is participating in his first ATP Tour event since winning his record 24th Grand Slam title in September, will now face Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals. Rublev advanced by defeating Alex de Minaur 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Reflecting on the intense match, Djokovic acknowledged the similarity to last year’s final and praised Rune for his mental toughness. Djokovic’s victory was especially notable as Rune had recently started working with Djokovic’s former coach, Boris Becker. Djokovic humorously noted that it was “strange” to see Becker in the opposing box and wished Rune and his new coach well.
In the match, Djokovic secured the first set with a late break, but he saw a match point slip away in the second set, leading to a thrilling tie-break. The Serbian star ultimately prevailed in the third set, securing a spot in the semi-finals.
Djokovic has now won 16 consecutive matches since his loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. He remains undefeated in Paris Masters semi-finals, having won all eight of his previous appearances at this stage of the tournament.
In another quarter-final clash, Stefanos Tsitsipas exhibited his dominance with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Karen Khachanov. Tsitsipas, who reached the semi-finals last year but lost to Djokovic, has advanced to the same stage this year without dropping a set. He is set to face Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals, who secured his spot by defeating Hubert Hurkacz 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Tsitsipas, who has already qualified for the year-end ATP Finals, expressed satisfaction with his performance and versatility on the court. Dimitrov, who has had a strong recent run in various tournaments, including defeating world number three Daniil Medvedev, is feeling confident and physically prepared for the semi-finals.
The final two places for the ATP Finals in Turin later this month will be occupied by Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune. Dimitrov, who last reached the semi-finals in Paris in 2019, is looking to make a strong impact in this year’s competition.
