Paris Masters SF recap: Grigor Dimitrov books Masters 1000 final after 6 years, Novak Djokovic fights back injury & Andrey Rublev to bag another final
It will be an all-Balkan final at the 2023 Paris Masters, as Grigor Dimitrov and Novak Djokovic booked their spots in the summit clash of the Masters 1000 event with semifinal wins that went all the way.
First, Dimitrov reached the second Masters 1000 final of his career on Saturday, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Bulgarian drew first blood, taking the opening set 6-3. Tsitsipas, however, was not one to let go and claimed the second set in the tiebreaker, 7-6(1). With all to play for in the decider, Dimitrov and Tsitsipas matched each other shot for shot, forcing another tiebreaker.
This time, it was the 32-year-old who came out on top, prevailing 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3) in a three-setter that lasted a little over two hours and 30 minutes. The only previous time Grigor Dimitrov had reached the final of a Masters 1000 event was in 2017, when he defeated Nick Kyrgios in Cincinnati to win his maiden ATP 1000 title.
At the time, the Bulgarian did not drop a single set on his way to the trophy, and defeated the likes of Juan Martin del Potro and John Isner along the way. This time in Paris-Bercy, Dimitrov has defeated Lorezo Musetti, Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik, Hubert Hurkacz, and most recently, Tsitsipas.
Except for the win over Bublik, all of them have come in three sets, with the win over Medvedev also going to the tiebreaker in the final set similar to the victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic came from behind to down Andrey Rublev, also fighting a back injury on the night. After losing the opening set 5-7, the Serb took the second in the tiebreaker, winning it 7-6(3). Even during the tiebreaker, the 24-time Grand Slam champion was visibly struggling with his back and was seen clutching it several times.
After the set, he opted for a medical timeout, following which he came out on court to find Rublev just as obstinate an opponent as he was in the first two sets. However, the Russian's nerves gave out in his final service game of the contest, as Djokovic sealed the set 7-5 with a decisive break of serve to reach his ninth final at Paris-Bercy.
Novak Djokovic leads 11-1 in the head-to-head against Grigor Dimitrov
Grigor Dimitrov will have a massive mountain to climb on Sunday, as he currently trials 1-11 in the head-to-head against six-time Paris Masters winner Djokovic. They have played twice this year, at the Australian Open and the Italian Open, with the World No. 1 winning on both occasions in three sets.
Dimitrov's lone win against him came all the way back in 2013, when he bested the 37-year-old on the claycourts of Madrid. Since then, they have faced each other on nine occasions, all of which have gone in favor of the man from Serbia.