Novak Djokovic came back from a set down to beat Andrey Rublev in the Paris Masters semi-final and maintain his perfect record.
The world No 1 won 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 and will face Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in Sunday’s final as he looks to claim his seventh title at the ATP Masters 1000.
Dimitrov advanced to his second Masters final after he beat seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-3).
“Rublev was suffocating me like a snake suffocates a frog for most of the match,” Djokovic said.
“He was playing an extremely high level that he possesses, but today he was off the charts, honestly. I don’t think I’ve ever faced Rublev this good.”
The Russian fifth seed earned a set point at 6-5 in the opener when he made the most of a weak second serve by Djokovic with an backhand return that he followed up with a forehand winner.
Rublev looked as though he was in trouble in the fifth game of the second set at 0-40 but managed to save three break points and held for a 4-3 lead after saving another break point.
In the tie break Djokovic moved to a 4-2 lead after coming out on top of a long rally and was then 6-3 ahead after a stunning forehand return and sealed the set with an ace.
Djokovic then called the physio to receive treatment on his back before Rublev hit a double-fault on match point to give the six-time Paris Masters champion victory and slammed his racquet on the floor in frustration.
Dimitrov stars against Tsitsipas
Earlier, Dimitrov powered to a 3-0 lead at the start of the match but Tsitsipas took the second set to a tie-break.
Dimitrov made several mistakes in the tiebreaker as Tsitsipas forced a decider, gesturing toward the crowd to ask for support.
“I am just happy I was able to get through that match in such a manner,” Dimitrov said.
“After that second set, especially the tiebreak, it was getting very tricky again. 15-40 down in the third again and I was just thinking it can’t keep going like this, so I have to change something.”
Tsitsipas was unable to convert four break point chances in the third game and in the final tiebreaker Dimitrov hit three stunning passing shots, including one to seal the match.
“The first five points in the tiebreak were excellent,” Dimitrov said.
“I took those chances and that was all I could do against such a high-quality player. If you let him dictate, you are done.
“But I kept on believing and kept staying focused and made sure every time I had the ball on the racquet, I did something with it.”
Dimitrov is chasing his first tour-level tournament since 2017, when he won the ATP Finals. He reached his only previous Masters 1000 final the same year in Cincinnati.
Stream all your favourite sports and more with NOW