Rolex Paris Masters: Holger Rune defeats Novak Djokovic to claim his first Masters 1000 title
Holger Rune of Denmark won his maiden Masters 1000 title after securing a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Serbian star Novak Djokovic in the championship clash of the Rolex Paris Masters at Accor Arena in Paris, France, on November 6
Holger Rune defeats Novak DjokovicThe Danish teenager had advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 final after ending the 16-match winning streak of Felix Auger-Aliassime with a dominating 6-4, 6-2 victory in the semifinal.
Novak Djokovic began the opening set on a solid note and got an early break for 2-1 after a series of doubles faults by Holger Rune. He made excellent use of his groundstrokes to gain a one-set advantage.
The Serb continued with his winning ways in the early stage of the second set. However, the 19-year-old Dane took advantage of an uncharacteristic long backhand pass to turn around the game's momentum. He put forth an excellent display of his creative shotmaking and strong defensive play to force the match into a decider.
The final set was sent to a decider after Holger Rune fended off six breakpoints and broke for 6-5. The Serb pushed back, but Holger Rune kept his composure to become the youngest player since Boris Becker in 1986 to claim the trophy at Rolex Paris Masters after two hours and 33 minutes of play.
Holger Rune served six aces, won 69% of the points on the first serve and broke the serve of Novak Djokovic three times from three opportunities. In contrast, the 35-year-old Serb served eight aces, won 82% of the points on the first serve and committed two double faults.
After the victory, Holger Rune said, "It means everything to me, a perfect way to finish the week. It's a privilege to share the court with Novak. It was the most stressful game of my life. My heart was almost in my brain. I was already starting to think about the tie-break. I'm very proud I could finish it."
Holger Rune secured five consecutive victories over the Top 10 opponents, including Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Novak Djokovic, en route to his maiden Masters 1000 title on the indoor hardcourt in Paris.
The title run in Paris helped Holger Rune climb to a career-high rank of the world's no. 10 on the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.