PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4) in an entertaining semifinal at the Paris Masters on Saturday and will look to extend his record at the tournament to seven titles .
The 21-time Grand Slam champion will face Danish teenager Holger Rune, who had never reached a Masters final before.
Tsitsipas trailed 15-40 on serve in the ninth game of the deciding set, but barring two break points – the second with a sublime backhand drop shot after a protracted rally – to stay at 5-4.
“Some great points towards the end,” said Djokovic. “I feel very lucky to overcome this challenge.”
Djokovic trailed 4-3 in the tie-break, but won the next two points to take a 5-4 lead with two serves to come against the Greek.
After a weak second serve, she used a great defense to take advantage as Tsitsipas hit a forehand into the net for her first match point. He then defined with a smash.
“It’s really nice to win games like this against one of the best players in the world,” said Djokovic. “It seemed to me that I started the game very well, just like yesterday, I had chances in the second. The momentum changed, people got excited. I think he has taken his tennis level to the next level.”
Djokovic has defeated Tsitsipas in nine of their eleven encounters, including the last eight. Tsitsipas won two of their first three encounters, most recently in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Shanghai Masters.
The Serb is looking to extend his record to seven Paris Masters, 39 at Masters level, the fifth title of the season and the 91st of his career.
Earlier, an inspired Rune defeated eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-2 in the other semifinal on Saturday and will win his first title at this level.
The 19-year-old Rune will face six-time champion Novak Djokovic or fifth-seeded Stefan Tsitsipas in his first Masters final, who later played their match.
The Dane, whose two career titles come this year, has reached a final for the fourth time in a row.
In his first Masters semifinal, he won 86% of his first save points and received no break points. It ended Auger-Aliassime’s 16-game winning streak and the Canadian’s bid for his fourth title in a row.
Auger-Aliassime defeated Rune in the indoor final of the Swiss Open last Sunday.
