Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski completed an ATP Masters 1000 hat-trick for 2022 on Sunday with victory at the Rolex Paris Masters, where the Dutch-British pairing held off the in-form Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the championship match.

Dodig and Krajicek were playing in their fourth ATP Tour final in as many weeks in France, but second seeds Koolhof and Skupski were clinical in securing a 7-6(5), 6-4 victory. It was a third Masters 1000 crown for the team following its triumphs in Madrid and Montreal, and it has now won seven tour-level titles since coming together at the start of the 2022 season. Sunday’s win also confirmed Koolhof and Skupski as the year-end No. 1 team in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

“[It means] a lot, obviously,” said Koolhof after he and Skupski confirmed their status as year-end No. 1. “It was one of the goals we set for this year. I think we reached all the goals we set in January, so it means the world to us. I think we’ve been playing great tennis from the start in Australia and managed to keep it going until here. We have one more week to go, so let’s continue this run in Turin.”

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Despite letting slip a 4-1 lead early in France, Koolhof and Skupski held firm to take the opening set in a tie-break. A break in the third game of the second was enough for the second seeds to seal the title as they wrapped a clinical 93-minute victory in which they converted two of three break point opportunities.

“It’s been great with Wes from day one, really, in Australia,” said Skupski. “We just keep growing, we had a few setbacks here and there, but we bounced straight back. We both work hard and we get along very well off the court. I think that’s one of the keys to gel on the court. If we keep putting the work in, things seem to be paying off, and hopefully we can keep going in Turin.”

The title in Paris gives Koolhof a second reason to celebrate this weekend. His and Skupski’s semi-final win against Rohan Bopanna and Matwe Middelkoop confirmed that the Dutchman will rise to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings for the first time on Monday. His partner Skupski is set to rise to a career-high No. 2.

Koolhof and Skupski will next head to Turin as they seek to end their stellar year on a high at the Nitto ATP Finals, where they will compete as the top seeds. Dodig and Krajicek’s exploits over the past month, during which they reached the final in Florence before winning titles in Naples and Basel, has also earned the Croatian-American duo a spot at the prestigious season finale.

When Chun-Hsin Tseng was growing up, he enjoyed all sports. Baseball, one of the most popular sports in his home country of Chinese Taipei, was not at the top of his list.

“In school we did not [have] original baseball, but you hit the ball and the rules are similar like [in] baseball,” Tseng recalled. “I really like the feeling when you hit the ball so far and you run the bases, so that’s why I started [it] when I was very young.”

Tseng never fully immersed himself in the sport, though. It took until the Covid-19 pandemic for him to begin watching more baseball videos on the Internet. Once he did, it became a major part of his life. Playing professional tennis is Tseng’s career, vut baseball has become part of what helps fuel the 21-year-old’s success.

Some players warm up for practice by riding a bike in the gym or kicking around a football. Tseng throws a baseball like a pitcher.

“Now I’m following the [baseball] highlights every day. I really like to watch baseball and also I like to throw,” said Tseng, who travels with a baseball glove. “I always do it before my practice. It’s good to warm up my shoulder. The motion is similar like my serve, so it also helped me to serve better.”

Baseball is more to Tseng than just a physical warmup, though. The Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitor has become a big fan of one of the sport’s biggest stars, Shohei Ohtani of Japan.

“For me it is incredible [to follow him]. I really admire him and I was reading [a] book [about him] and trying to learn from him to see where I can improve and be like him,” Tseng said. “I think he worked very hard, that’s the first point for sure. He had big goals when he was young and he’s good at planning.

“He has a lot of good plans in his mind and he stays with it, and I think that’s why he can be at the top.”

One of Tseng’s biggest goals this year was to qualify for the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. Mission accomplished.

“I think it’s good to bring all the best young players together and compete,” Tseng said. “[We] play only four games, five sets. It’s going to be quick so you have to get used to it and into the match very quickly to be in a good position.”

The 21-year-old, currently No. 90 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, aims to next year crack the Top 50. But for now, he is appreciating all he has accomplished thus far. Last December, Tseng broke into the Top 200 for the first time, and now he is competing in Milan.

“For me it was an incredible journey because when I was around 280 or 300, I was stuck there for two or three years. For me it was tough,” Tseng said. “But suddenly from last year November until now, I became Top 100. I was very surprised because at that moment I didn’t really expect that I would go that fast. From then until now, I couldn’t believe it.

“There was a time I was always confused on court and made some wrong decisions and things just didn’t go well. But I just keep trying to work hard every day and try to improve myself because I believe that will bring me to the top level.”

Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek clinched the last spot at the Nitto ATP Finals on Saturday following a late-season surge. The Croatian-American duo will compete at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from 13-20 November.

Since arriving in Florence in October they have won 14 of their 15 matches to earn their place at the season finale. The pair defeated Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies in the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals to guarantee their qualification.

Dodig and Krajicek first partnered in April in Belgrade before triumphing in Lyon. They then advanced to the final at Roland Garros final, where they defeated fellow Turin qualifiers Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury and Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos before falling short in the championship match to Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer.

The new team reached the final in Florence before lifting the trophy in back-to-back weeks in Naples and Basel. In Paris, they are into their first Masters 1000 final as a team.

Dodig and Krajicek join Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski, Ram/Salisbury, Arevalo/Rojer, Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic, Granollers/Zeballos, Lloyd Glasspool/Harri Heliovaara and Thanasi Kokkinakis/Nick Kyrgios in Turin.

Dodig will make his eighth appearance at the season finale with his fourth different partner. Krajicek will make his Nitto ATP Finals debut.

Holger Rune had just broken into the Top 150 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings before his first meeting with Novak Djokovic at the 2021 US Open. Now, the 19-year-old Dane has a chance to make his Top 10 debut with a win against the Serbian in Sunday’s Rolex Paris Masters final (3pm CET/9am ET).

The #NextGenATP star has shown that the future is now by reaching four straight finals during the indoor season, and he rides an 18-2 record during that stretch into his clash with Djokovic. After snapping Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 16-match win streak in the semis, the Stockholm champion will seek his fifth Top 10 win in as many days in his first ATP Masters 1000 final. He will need to end Djokovic’s twin 13-match winning runs to earn it, with the Serbian streaking both in Paris — where he won the title in both 2019 and 2021 — and overall.

With wins against Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz and Auger-Aliassime on the week, Rune has soared six spots to No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. Victory against Djokovic would also move him into 10th place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, which would make him the fist alternate at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Defending Paris champ Djokovic, who dropped a set to Rune in their US Open first-round meeting, has seen the Dane’s rise first-hand.

“I know him quite well because we have trained on different surfaces,” said the six-time Bercy titlist. “I really like him. Very nice guy, great family, great team of people around him. Fantastic work ethic that he has, and he deserves his success. I followed him the last three, four years, his uprising through the Challenger level and then getting now to Top 15 in the world.

“No doubt that he’s the future of the sport, along with Alcaraz and some other guys. Hopefully I can [delay] his first title [at a] Masters 1000 event,” Djokovic added with a smile.

While the pair are good friends, the Serbian is prepared for a battle in the final against one of the in-form players on the ATP Tour.

“We get along really well. Good friends off the court. Of course on the court, [we are] competitors,” he said. “I played him only once last US Open, a good battle, four sets. He has improved a lot, no doubt. He physically is a very fit guy. He’s young, so not much to lose. Just swinging through the ball.

“I expect that also tomorrow. I saw him play today. Yesterday, it was just a very impressive game. Kind of reminds me of myself, solid backhand and very good defence and just competitive, every point leaving his heart and his legs out there on the court. It’s nice to see that. I think he’s very good for our sport in general.”

INSIGHTS data shows how closely the finalists stack up in terms of Shot Quality — measured on a 10-point scale — with Rune holding an edge on serve but Djokovic scoring higher on return, forehand and backhand this week. Rune has also played more points In Attack in reaching the final, while Djokovic has recorded a stronger Conversion rate from offensive positions and and a better Steal rate from defence.

Rune has not dropped a set in Paris since he lost the opener against Stan Wawrinka in the first round, rising to new heights in a 6-4, 6-2 win against Auger-Aliassime on Saturday. Following his semi-final victory, which he called “an unbelievable match from my side”, Rune singled out his backhand as a key part of his attacking game plan.

“I saw some statistic that [my] backhand is going well in this tournament,” he said. “So I tried to use that a little bit, especially against Felix who has such a great forehand and serve.

“It’s good to play the game more on that side, and that was what I tried to do. To put pressure there, move him around, and it worked really well. I really feel the groundstrokes, the returns were much better than I did the last time I played.”

#WinningPlays
✅ identify specific winning tactics
✅ Recognise that the “key” shot in the point may not be the winner #WinningPlays will ⬆️ the level of tactical analysis in tennis https://t.co/HpaYcLfrL6

— TennisViz (@TennisViz) November 5, 2022

Djokovic faced a much tougher test in his semi-final against Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning the final four points of the match to clinch a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) victory.

The Serbian is seeking his seventh Paris title and his 56th at the Masters 1000 level, both of which would extend his own records. He has claimed titles in each of his past four ATP Tour tournaments dating back to Wimbledon, winning 21 of his past 22 matches — a Laver Cup defeat to Auger-Aliassime his lone defeat.

A thread on @DjokerNole #WinningPlays 🆚 Tsitsipas#WinningPlays highlight a specific winning tactic ✅

Djokovic hit 43 Forehands from the middle of the court, 13 of which were #WinningPlays 🔥#TennisInsights | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/DyVOTbFIAg

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) November 5, 2022

Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski continued their standout season Saturday at the Rolex Paris Masters, defeating Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara in the semi-finals 6-1, 6-7(4), 10-6.

The Dutch-British team on Sunday will look to claim its seventh title this season and strengthen its claim for year-end No. 1 honours in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

Koolhof guaranteed his first-time rise Monday to No. 1 in the individual Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings one day earlier when the pair won their quarter-final.

Koolhof and Skupski will aim for their third ATP Masters 1000 title this season (Madrid, Montreal) in Sunday’s championship match, where they will meet either Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek or German pair Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies. Both teams are in contention to claim the last Nitto ATP Finals doubles spot.

Glasspool and Heliovaara, who have already qualified for the season finale, shift their attention towards a strong run in Turin.

Novak Djokovic won his eighth straight match against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Saturday in the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals, extending his twin win streaks to 13 matches both overall and at the ATP Masters 1000 event — but only just.

In a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) victory, the Serbian won the final four points of the match after falling behind by a mini-break in the decisive tie-break, including a defensive masterclass to bring up match point. Djokovic could not convert two late break points at 4-4, 15/40, and instead needed a dramatic comeback of his own despite making a blistering start to the contest in the opening set.

“It’s very sweet, obviously, when you win matches like this against one of the best players in the world,” Djokovic said after the victory. “I thought I started the match very well, again, great hitting like yesterday in the quarters. I had chances early on in the second [twice at 30/30], 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.”

The six-time Bercy champion improved to 8-0 in semi-finals at the tournament and 9-2 against the Greek. Djokovic will next face Holger Rune in his record 56th ATP Masters 1000 final as he seeks to claim his third Paris title in as many appearances following triumphs in 2019 and 2021.

In a clean semi-final from both sides, the Serbian fired 36 winners and 12 unforced errors, compared to 27 and 11 from Tsitsipas as both players showed great patience in building points. Djokovic won 84 per cent (41/49) of his first-serve points and did not face a break point in the first or third set.

The 35-year-old made a fast start behind dominant serving, losing just two points in four service games as he claimed the opening set. His consistent returning pressured Tsitsipas and when the Greek tried to attack his way out of 30/30 at 2-3, Djokovic produced two dipping forehands that landed at the feet of his opponent and forced volley errors. After breaking from 30/0 in that game, the Serbian eased to the opening set with a second break.

Tsitsipas zeroed in on return in the second, and after four straight games went to 30/30, it was the Greek who made the breakthrough on a rare Djokovic error to lead 3-2. He capitalised on a lull from Djokovic to run way with the set, using a vicious, dipping forehand of his own to bring up set point.

Momentum shifted again in the third set, with Djokovic again imperious on serve and Tsitsipas hanging in on his own deal. The Serbian dropped just two points in six service games but could not convert on four break points as the match headed to its climax.

The first six points of the tie-break stayed on serve as the tension mounted during the change of ends. Tsitispas struck first to lead 4/3 but then fell victim to a late charge from the Serbian, who scrambled from corner to corner to survive a point Tsitsipas seemed to have won twice over at 5/4.

With another clutch performance, Djokovic improved to 4-0 in third-set tie-breaks in Paris, with all four coming in the semi-finals or final.

Tsitsipas was denied a fourth ATP Masters 1000 final on the year after his title run in Monte Carlo and finals in Rome (l. to Djokovic) and Cincinnati.

Despite the defeat, he still has a chance to finish the season atop the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. He trails Carlos Alcaraz by 1,470 points in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, with 1,500 points on offer for an undefeated champion at the Nitto ATP Finals, which begins 13 November. The Spaniard announced on Saturday his withdrawal from Turin due to an oblique muscle tear.

After nearly four weeks, three ATP Tour titles, and 16 matches won, Felix Auger-Aliassime was not going to let the disappointment of defeat at the Rolex Paris Masters get to him.

The Canadian fell to an inspired Holger Rune on Saturday in the semi-finals at the ATP Masters 1000 event, his first tour-level loss since the beginning of October, but Auger-Aliassime was keen to emphasise the positives as his remarkable run came to an end.

“Had I won today, had I won tomorrow, I would be in heaven,” said the 22-year-old at his post-match press conference. “It would be great to win. [But] throughout my career, I have always tried to draw lessons from my failures. As I said recently during the US Open, I lost early, it was disappointing, but I managed to overturn this into something positive.”

Auger-Aliassime’s red-hot run earned him more than just trophies in Florence, Antwerp and Basel. The Canadian’s results over the past month were also crucial for securing his spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held in Turin from 13-20 November, for the first time.

“It’s the end of a winning streak,” said Auger-Aliassime. “It’s something that was good that ended. From tomorrow onwards, I will focus my attention on Turin.”

Like Auger-Aliassime, Rune arrived in Paris off the back off three consecutive championship match appearances in ATP Tour events. The 19-year-old Dane again demonstrated the recent strides he has made in downing Top 10 stars Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz en route to the semi-finals, where Auger-Aliassime was also unable to counter Rune’s high-powered game.

“I feel like because of the way he [Rune] was playing and how good he was playing, I have to give him a lot of credit,” acknowledged the Canadian. “He kind of exposed weaknesses in my game. He was just playing so aggressively without missing. I haven’t seen or I haven’t played many players that were this aggressive and hitting that hard, that deep.

“It was just exposing the fact that I couldn’t manage to establish my game plan on the court and feel good and play two, three good points in a row.

“I wouldn’t say my forehand let me down completely,” added Auger-Aliassime, when asked what had gone wrong for him in his second Masters 1000 semi-final. “Of course, I did miss important ones or easier forehands, start of the second set as well getting broken there with two or three mistakes. So not particularly it let me down, but a few things in my game didn’t work because of how he was playing.”

If Rune can defeat Novak Djokovic or Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday’s championship match, the Dane will enter the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday, having only cracked the Top 100 in January. Auger-Aliassime admitted he was surprised by the speed of Rune’s progress but saw similarities with his own rapid rise as a teenager.

“Well, I’m surprised, yes,” said the Canadian. “I knew he had a lot of qualities. We have Carlos [Alcaraz], who is a standout player, for instance… I was in the Top 100 as well at 18. We have a similar career.

“But I’m surprised, and I have to say hats off to him for his wonderful rise in the ranking. He has played very well throughout this season. He’s had also very tough moments, which is not normal for someone who is [so young]. He managed to be in the final in Stockholm, in Basel. It’s very incredible at his age. He hasn’t been much on the Tour. Hats off to him because he’s exceptional.”