AP Photo/Thibault Camus
The 2021 Paris Masters is nearing its end, with Saturday’s semifinal matchups setting the stage for an epic finale.
Four of the top seven seeds advanced to the semifinals, led by No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Last year’s finalists, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, had a rematch in the second semifinal.
Djokovic squared off with Hubert Hurkacz for their third head-to-head matchup. Djokovic won the previous two meetings, but this was their first match since the second round at Wimbledon in 2019.
The top two seeds in the tournament, Djokovic and Medvedev, advanced to the final in different ways. This will mark the third head-to-head meeting in a tournament final this season.
Djokovic beat Medvedev in straight sets at the Australian Open back in February. Medvedev got revenge at the U.S. Open in September to win his first career Grand Slam title and prevent Djokovic from capturing the calendar-year grand slam.
2021 Paris Masters Semifinal Results
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (5)
No. 2 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 4 Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-2
2021 Paris Masters Final
No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 2 Daniil Medvedev
Date: Sunday, Nov. 7
Start Time: 9 a.m. ET
Watch: Tennis Channel
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (5)
Djokovic was pushed to the limit by Hurkacz before finally prevailing in a third-set tiebreaker. The win ensured Djoker will finish the year ranked No. 1 for a record-breaking seventh time.
TENNIS @Tennis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020 and now 2021!<br><br>By reaching the Rolex Paris Masters final, <a href=”https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@DjokerNole</a> has clinched his historic seventh year-end No. 1 finish, breaking Pete Sampras’ record for most year-end No. 1 finishes in ATP rankings history.<br><br>MORE: <a href=”https://t.co/1vc7EPO2hR”>https://t.co/1vc7EPO2hR</a> <a href=”https://t.co/BuiQqqmNR7″>pic.twitter.com/BuiQqqmNR7</a>
“That was the goal this week. I’m very proud to finish the season as No. 1,” Djokovic told reporters after the match. “It’s a dream, honestly, because [Pete] Sampras was such an idol for me when I was young. He motivated me to pick up the racket and try this sport.”
Hurkacz came out of the gate strong with a 6-3 first-set win. The Poland native had two aces and was excellent at placing the ball where he needed to in order to keep Djokovic off balance.
Tennis TV @TennisTV
Hubi making moves ????????<br><br>No.7 seed <a href=”https://twitter.com/HubertHurkacz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@HubertHurkacz</a> plays some inspired tennis to take the first set 6-3 off Djokovic!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolexParisMasters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RolexParisMasters</a> <a href=”https://t.co/mdLjEGLglx”>pic.twitter.com/mdLjEGLglx</a>
Dropping the first set seemed to be a wake-up call for Djokovic. He needed just 28 minutes to win the second set without dropping a game.
Djokovic looked like he was going to be on cruise control in the third set as well. The five-time Paris Masters champion went up 4-1 and was well on his way to getting back into the final after that first-set speed bump.
Hurkacz clawed his way back into the match by winning three straight games to square things at 4-4. The two competitors continued to trade games until the match went to a tiebreak.
ATP Tour @atptour
This crowd is ready to get involved ????️ <br><br>????: <a href=”https://twitter.com/TennisTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@TennisTV</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@DjokerNole</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolexParisMasters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RolexParisMasters</a><a href=”https://t.co/3ZBvvmSbrG”>pic.twitter.com/3ZBvvmSbrG</a>
The first 10 points of the tiebreak were evenly split between Djokovic and Hurkacz. Djoker broke the stalemate by stealing a point with Hurkacz on serve to take a 6-5 lead. He put the match away on the next point after Hurkacz lost a challenge.
Tennis TV @TennisTV
THE SUPER SERB ????????☝️<a href=”https://twitter.com/DjokerNole?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@DjokerNole</a> fights past Hurkacz 3-6 6-0 7-6(5) to ensure he will surpass Pete Sampras’ six year-end No.1 finishes!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolexParisMasters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RolexParisMasters</a> <a href=”https://t.co/AVYDpSRTR6″>pic.twitter.com/AVYDpSRTR6</a>
This marks Djokovic’s seventh trip to the Paris Masters final. He has won five of the previous six times. Each of his last four wins in the final have come in straight sets.
No. 2 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 4 Alexander Zverev 6-2, 6-2
Things were much less dramatic in the second semifinal, as Medvedev took care of business against Zverev in a match that took just 80 minutes to complete.
Tennis TV @TennisTV
Four. Games. Lost. ????<br><br>Defending champ <a href=”https://twitter.com/DaniilMedwed?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@DaniilMedwed</a> eases past Zverev 6-2 6-2 to set up a US Open final rematch with Djokovic!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/RolexParisMasters?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#RolexParisMasters</a> <a href=”https://t.co/u5oQxVeo0t”>pic.twitter.com/u5oQxVeo0t</a>
Medvedev played an efficient brand of tennis. The Russian only had four aces in the match, but he but didn’t have one double fault and didn’t allow Zverev to break his serve.
As good as Medvedev was, Zverev had a disappointing match. The 24-year-old committed four double faults and lost four of his five break points while on serve.
The win continues Medvedev’s recent stretch of excellent tennis. He has made it to at least the semifinal in four of his past five tournaments, including his victory at the U.S. Open.
Djokovic and Medvedev have had a competitive head-to-head rivalry over the years. Djoker has a 5-4 edge overall, but Medvedev has won four of their past six meetings.
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