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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