Novak Djokovic reaches his 58th Masters Final. For a long time, he was chasing records. These days, he’s breaking his own. 🇷🇸
MATCH REPORT | 2023 Paris Masters: Novak DJOKOVIC takes down Andrey RUBLEV in epic semifinal battle
ATPSaturday, 04 November 2023 at 20:21
Novak
Djokovic secured a spot in another Masters 1000 final by defeating Andrey
Rublev 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-5 in a tough semifinal battle at the Paris-Bercy.
Rublev had
advanced to the semifinals of the Paris Masters for the first time in his
career, defeating Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals with a score of 4-6, 6-3,
6-1. His previous five appearances in the tournament had only resulted in two
wins.
His
opponent this time was the world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, who had reached the
quarterfinals by defeating the 2022 champion Holger Rune with a score of 7-5,
6-7(3), 6-4. In their head-to-head encounters, Djokovic led Rublev 4-1, with
two of those victories in indoor hard court matches at the ATP Finals in 2021
and 2022.
Both
players secured an early break in the first two games, maintaining an even
match as games were contested. Rublev appeared more confident in his service
game throughout the set, with a 74% first serve percentage, winning 76% of
those points and 56% on the second serve. Djokovic's numbers were slightly
lower, with a 71% first serve percentage, a 59% first serve points won, and a
43% second serve points won.
The duel
remained closely contested until Rublev took the first set 7-5, capitalizing on
the one break point Djokovic gave him. Throughout the set, Rublev displayed
more aggression than his opponent, hitting 19 winners to Djokovic's 14 and
committing only two unforced errors compared to Djokovic's eight.
In the
second set, Rublev became less precise compared to the first, and he gradually
lost his composure as errors crept into his game. However, he managed to fend
off the five-break points Djokovic had throughout the set to keep the match
even. Djokovic improved his service accuracy and didn't allow a single break
opportunity, forcing the set into a tie-break.
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In the
decisive tie-break, Djokovic displayed confidence in his service and was
impeccable in his returns, winning the tie-break 7-3 and extending the match to
a third set.
Neither
player gave in during the third set. Djokovic didn't offer many chances with
his serve, and he applied more pressure on the return. With a 6-5 advantage for
Djokovic, he capitalized on a shaky game from the world No. 5, ultimately
sealing the decisive break with a double fault from Rublev on match point: 5-7,
7-6(3), 7-5.
In the final,
Djokovic will face an impressive Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Stefanos
Tsitsipas in the semifinals and is returning to a Masters 1000 final after six
years
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