Paris Masters 2022 final: Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (6) Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune.
Date: November 6, 2022.
Tournament: Paris Masters 2022.
Round: Final.
Venue: Paris, France.
Category: ATP Masters 1000.
Surface: Indoor hardcourt.
Prize money: €5,415,410.
Match timing: Not before 3 pm local time, 2 pm GMT, 10 am ET and 7:30 pm IST.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | Canada - TSN & Sportsnet | UK - Amazon Prime.
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune preview
Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune are set to face off in the final of the 2022 Paris Masters on Sunday.
Djokovic commenced his title defense by defeating Maxime Cressy, Karen Khachanov and Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets to reach the semifinals. He took on World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas for a spot in the final. After a strong start by the duo, the Serb ran away with the opening set by bagging four games in a row.
Tsitsipas didn't shy away from the challenge and raised his level in the second set. He snagged a break in the fifth game to go 3-2 up and then broke his opponent's serve towards the end of the set to claim it.
Djokovic held four break points across a couple of Tsitsipas' service games in the third set, but the Greek managed to fend them off. The set eventually went into a tie-break, with the former World No. 1 coming from behind to win 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4). He has now reached his sixth final of the season.
Following wins over Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, and Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune faced Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals. The teenager drew first blood in the opening set as he secured a break in the third game to go 2-1 up. After a service hold, he consolidated his lead to make it 3-1.
Rune managed to stay in front until the end of the set and served it out with ease to clinch it. The young Dane was off to a hot start in the second set, breaking his opponent's serve twice to lead 4-0.
Auger-Aliassime was unable to recover from this deficit as the teenager wrapped up proceedings to win 6-4, 6-2 and end the Canadian's 16-match winning streak. Rune has now advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 final.
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune head-to-head
Djokovic leads Rune 1-0 in the head-to-head. He won their previous encounter at the 2021 US Open in four sets.
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune odds
All odds are sourced from BetMGM.
Novak Djokovic vs Holger Rune prediction
Rune's path to the final has been extremely challenging, but he rose to the occasion by defeating four top-10 players in a row. He completely outplayed Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals by serving really well and dominating with his backhand.
Djokovic was tested by Tsitsipas in the previous round, but as usual, managed to turn up the heat in critical moments to come out on top. The Serb was clinical on serve, hitting 11 aces and winning 84% of his first-serve points. His winning streak stands at 13 matches and he's one win away from securing yet another title in Paris.
Rune has been playing lights out tennis over the past few weeks, but will face his toughest battle yet as he takes on Djokovic. The Serb himself has been in tremendous form and looks unstoppable. The teenager has improved considerably and is pretty good in all aspects of the game.
Rune has the skills to make it a competitive match against Djokovic, but the Serb is a cut above the rest at the moment. Expect the defending champion to triumph once again in Paris.
Pick: Novak Djokovic to win in straight sets.