Novak Djokovic gained revenge against Holger Rune on Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he defeated the 2022 champion 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-4 in a rematch of last year’s final. The World No. 1 now holds a 48-9 record in Paris, having advanced to the semi-finals nine times.

The 20-year-old Rune upset Djokovic in the Paris title match last year to capture his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy. The Serbian ensured he would not suffer the same fate this season, though. In a high-quality match, he won 80 per cent (12/15) of his second-serve points in the first set and fended off a mid-match resurgence from Rune. After saving a match point at 4-5 in the second set, the Dane won nine of 10 points deep in the set to level, opening his shoulders to hit freely.

As he so often does, Djokovic regrouped in the third set. He gained an early break and offered Rune little opportunity on return, committing just one unforced error in the decider to improve to 31-1 on hard courts in 2023.

“It was quite a similar match to last year’s final, it was any body’s game in every set.” Djokovic said. “I played an awful tie-break 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.”

With his two-hours, 54-minute triumph, Djokovic levelled his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Rune at 2-2, having also lost to the Dane in Rome this year. Chasing a record-extending seventh Rolex Paris Masters crown, Djokovic will meet Andrey Rublev or Alex de Minaur in his eighth semi-final of the season.

“He has been playing much better in the past few weeks since working with Boris,” said Djokovic on Rune, who started working with Djokovic’s former coach Boris Becker last month. “It was strange seeing Boris in the opposing box. I wish Holger and him all the best.”

The top seed, who survived a three-set scare against Tallon Griekspoor in the third round, has now won his past 16 matches and 29 of his past 30. His lone defeat came against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon, with the 36-year-old winning titles at Roland Garros, Cincinnati and the US Open.

The 36-year-old leads Alcaraz — who was upset by Roman Safiullin in his Paris opener — by 850 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer in the battle for year-end No. 1. Djokovic is chasing an eighth ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone.

Rune leaves Paris eighth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Of those below him, only Alex de Minaur can overtake the Dane in the final qualification spot for the Nitto ATP Finals. The Australian is currently 720 points behind Rune.

The doubles field for the Nitto ATP Finals is now set. Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni are the final team to qualify for the season finale, which will be held in Turin from 12-19 November.

The Argentines join Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek, Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski, Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden, Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos, Santiago Gonzalez/Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury and Rinky Hijikata/Jason Kubler at the prestigious tournament.

The defending champions are Ram and Salisbury, who triumphed at this year’s US Open. There is also a tight battle for the Year-End No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Ranking, with several duos still in contention. Koolhof and Skupski earned the honour one year ago.

Four teams — Bopanna/Ebden, Gonzalez/Roger-Vasselin, Gonzalez/Molteni and Hijikata/Kubler — will compete as pairs in the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

Gonzalez and Molteni have won five ATP Tour titles this season, tied for the most of any duo in Turin with Dodig and Krajicek. The Argentines earned crowns in Cordoba, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Washington and at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.

Gonzalez and Molteni also advanced to the quarter-finals at two majors: Roland Garros and the US Open. They will both make their individual debuts at the year-end championships.

Stefanos Tsitsipas sealed his 300th career-win in style Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he eased past Karen Khachanov 6-3, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.

The seventh seed converted all three break points he earned to reach his third consecutive ATP Tour semi-final and match his 2022 run at the indoor Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy. The Greek is yet to drop a set this week as he chases his second tour-level title of the season.

“It’s working well. I feel like I can mix up play,” said Tsitsipas, when asked about the variety he deployed to counter Khachanov’s baseline power. “It feels good to have so much variety and so much diversity in the way you can play. I take that as an opportunity to keep growing my game and keep looking forward at the many more matches to come and appreciate each moment that comes my way.”

Tsitsipas was rock solid for much of an 80-minute victory during which his only setback was when Khachanov reclaimed a break of serve in the sixth game of the second set. However, the Greek regained his composure to clinch another break of his own in the ninth game, and after bringing up match point with a stunning drop shot winner at 5-4, 30/15 he confidently served out to reach his second Masters 1000 semi-final of the season.

“It was a great feeling. I had great feel on the ball and went for it with no hesitation on the approach to the net,” said Tsitsipas, when asked about his drop shot. “These are nice shots to feel on the strings of the racquet… I’m not used to setting up a match point this way, but it felt good.”

Tsitsipas’ next opponent in France will be Grigor Dimitrov, who earlier downed Hubert Hurkacz 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. Tsitsipas holds a 6-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against the Bulgarian, with their most recent meeting a three-set win for the Greek at this year’s United Cup.

The battle for the top pair in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings is in full force at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, who are currently third in the Race, booked their semi-final ticket Friday at the ATP Masters 1000 event, where they cruised past fifth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-3, 6-2. The Indian-Australian duo won 92 per cent of their first-serve points, compared to their opponent’s 61 per cent. Bopanna and Ebden will next compete in their third consecutive tour-level semi-final.

After Harri Heliovaara and Mate Pavic upset top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-4, 6-4 on Friday, Bopanna and Ebden have a chance to move to the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings should they claim the Paris title. Bopanna and Ebden, who will face Heliovaara and Pavic in the semi-finals, trail World No. 1 team Dodig and Krajicek by 580 points.

In the bottom half of the draw, second seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski will face Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the quarter-finals Friday evening. Fourth seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury meet Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow in the last eight.

Koolhof and Skupski also have a chance at claiming the top spot in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings on Monday. If Koolhof and Skupski fail to reach the final while Bopanna and Ebden triumph, the Indian-Australian team would pass Dodig and Krajicek by just 60 points to become World No. 1.

Watch the ATP Challenger Tour event in Ismaning, Germany and you will see a carpet court as orange as leaves turning colour in autumn. Do not be mistaken, it is not red clay, it is the last carpet tournament remaining on the ATP Challenger Tour or higher.

Swiss Marc-Andrea Huesler, who is seeded eighth at the Wolffkran Open by Tannenhof this week, is no stranger to the surface. Despite rarely competing on carpet at the pro level, the 27-year-old has found success in Ismaning, where he was crowned champion in 2020.

“Carpet is a bit special. It’s a bit of a changeup, pretty fast but absolutely playable,” Huelser told ATPTour.com. “I grew up on carpet a little so I know what it’s like. It plays pretty fast, especially serving, it’s really important. It’s easier to get free points with your serve, especially the slider serve, it somehow accelerates on the floor.

“It’s similar to grass because you have to stay low. If you manage to take the ball early, go to net and use the pace your opponent gives you, then you’re a good carpet player.”

Ismaning’s surface rewards hefty servers. No better example than last year’s champion Quentin Halys, who struck 107 aces across five matches, including 24 in the final, en route to lifting the trophy. The rarity of carpet tournaments also means players need to quickly grow accustomed to the surface upon their arrival in Germany.

“Many players are happy to practise longer than other tournaments,” tournament director Christoph Poehlmann said. “If possible, they arrive earlier and have more practice options It’s a big change for everybody and they need more time to practise.” 

Another memorable moment from last year’s event was when home hope 19-year-old Max Hans Rehberg went on a dream run to his maiden Challenger final. Now age 20, Rehberg kicked off this year’s edition by upsetting third seed Maxime Cressy.

“It’s special because some of the players here are German players who grew up on the surface and know that they can play on it because they are familiar with it,” Poehlmann said. “Our local wild card Rehberg has played on this surface since he was a child and last year he made the final. It was a great success for him to come so far in the tournament.”

Did You Know?
Former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors claimed 45 titles on carpet while John McEnroe captured 43 trophies on the surface. But since 2009, carpet has not been featured on the ATP Tour.

Grigor Dimitrov’s late-season charge shows no sign of abating at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The Bulgarian held his nerve for a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 triumph against Hubert Hurkacz on Friday to book a semi-final spot at the indoor ATP Masters 1000 event. Dimitrov capitalised on a slow start from the 11th-seeded Hurkacz to race to the opening set at Accor Arena, before staying consistent in the decider to reach the semi-finals in Paris-Bercy for the second time.

“My body is feeling well for now, that’s the most important thing,” said Dimitrov, who also upset third seed Daniil Medvedev this week in Paris. “My head is good. If I’m able to play like that on a consistent basis throughout every game, I put myself in a position to do better.

“Today was no different. A completely different opponent again. Every day you have to adapt, and I’ve been able to do so these four or five days.”

Hurkacz struggled to find his rhythm in the first set but fired eight aces in each of the second and third sets as he threatened a comeback victory on Court Central. A break in the seventh game of the decider ultimately proved enough for Dimitrov to clinch a victory in which he clinically converted both break points he earned.

“I became like a stop sign,” joked Dimitrov. “He caught on fire definitely with the serves. I knew what to expect against him, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a break. After the fifth or sixth game in the second set, I was just kind of guessing, but my guesses were all wrong.

“I had to stay very focused and every time I had the opportunity to get into a rally, I had to do something. A few points made a huge difference today.”

40TH WIN OF THE SEASON 🔓🙌

Grigor Dimitrov | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/1BQASvHStA

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 3, 2023

With his 94-minute triumph, Dimitrov reached 40 tour-level wins in a season for the first time since 2017, which is also the year he last lifted an ATP Tour crown at the Nitto ATP Finals. The 32-year-old will take on seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or 16th seed Karen Khachanov in the last four in Paris.

Friday’s defeat ended Hurkacz’s hopes of claiming a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals this year. He remains ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, but cannot now finish inside the top eight to secure a qualification berth at the prestigious season finale.