Djokovic edges Tsitsipas to reach Paris final
Novak Djokovic held his nerve to win a captivating final-set tiebreaker against Stefanos Tsitsipas to advance to his 56th Masters 1000 final.
Djokovic's 12-match winning run appeared likely to be halted at the Paris Masters when Tsitsipas found a mini-break in the deciding tiebreaker, with the Greek having fought his way into contention after losing the opening set.
However, 21-time grand slam champion Djokovic stepped up when it mattered, winning the final four points of the match to seal a 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-4) victory.
The Serbian praised Tsitsipas for his role in a thrilling encounter.
"It's very sweet, obviously, when you win matches like this against one of the best players in the world," Djokovic said.
"I thought I started the match very well, again, great hitting, like yesterday in the quarters. I had chances early on in the second, I didn't break his serve. The momentum shifted, the crowd got into it. I think he elevated his level of tennis.
"We went 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."
In Sunday's (AEDT) other match, Rune clinched his maiden Masters 1000 final appearance by posting a straight-sets victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The in-form Dane seized control of the contest after breaking in the third game of the opener and did not give up a single break point en route to a comprehensive 6-4 6-2 win.
In doing so, Rune exacted revenge for last week's defeat to Auger-Aliassime in the Swiss Indoors final in Basel, halting the Canadian's 16-match winning run.
Rune has now won eight career matches against top-10 opponents with four of those during his strong run in Paris this week.
Djokovic lavished Rune with the highest praise before their showdown in the Paris Masters final, declaring: "He kind of reminds me of myself."
Rune, who will climb to 10th in the world should he win, is already assured of at least 12th position on the ATP rankings, a career-high.
"No doubt that he's the future of the sport, along with Alcaraz and some other guys," Djokovic said.
"Hopefully I can suspend his first title Masters 1000 event. We get along really well, good friends off the court.
"Of course on the court, we're competitors. I played him only once, at the 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 think he's very good for our sport in general."
