Winner at the end of the suspense of Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Serb will have the opportunity on Sunday to win his seventh title in Paris. He will have to get rid of the young Danish Holger Rune, feeling of the tournament.
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The years pass, and the observation remains, very often, the same: Novak Djokovic is an insubmersible giant. His index on the temple after the match ball attests to the mental force of the world number 7, winner of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-finals, Saturday November 5, of the Masters 1000 of Paris-Bercy.
The Serbian came to the end (6-2, 3-6, 7-6) of the Greek, 5 global, at the end of a fight of almost two and a half hours, In a scenario similar to that of his victory in the 2009 final against French Gaël Monfils. The first of its six coronations in the Paris Indoor tournament, at a time when the case still had the name Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy.
The victory record holder in the tournament offered the public a lesson in resilience against Stefanos Tsitsipas against which he led 8 victories to 2 in direct confrontations. Coming as an expiatory victim during the 2019 edition (defeat 6-1, 6-2), the Greek this time gave a hard time to the player at the 21 Grands Chelems.
Quickly led a set to zero, Tsitsipas knew how to seize his luck, with a better percentage in the first and second balls, and by converting his two break opportunities to win the second act. In a final set undecided without the slightest Breaker opportunity, the Greek had the opportunity to knock out Djokovic, when he led 4-3 in the final decisive game, with two services to follow. On the hard Parisian anthracite, “Nole” has won over before giving up the score.
And as often on the decisive points, the Serbian grabs the line and turns the meeting in his favor, as at the beginning of the 12 e game of the third set while he is led 6- 5, on a forehand validated by the video challenge. A clarification that will have to be kept in front of the fiery Holger Rune in the final on Sunday.
The Holger Rune surprise Holger Rune swept (6-4, 6-2) The Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, in the semi-final of the Paris- Bercy, Saturday November 5. Christophe Archambault/AFP
The Danish 19 years is the feeling of a Parisian cuvée 2022 marked by emotions, between the farewell tour of Gilles Simon delayed until the third round, Or the early elimination of Rafael Nadal as soon as he entered the running. Winner of Félix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals (6-4, 6-2), the rune (18 e in the ATP ranking) put an end to the sixteen row successes of the Canadian-winner of the three last tournaments he played – in a one -way meeting.
In the space of a week, Holger Rune hung four members of the Top 10 to his painting, and is about to play his first Masters 1000 final. Pass pro in 2020, the young hope could, if Victory, win his third tournament of the year after his successes in Stockholm and Munich. Not bad for a player classified out of the top 100 at the start of the year.
“He progresses very quickly (…) his determination is very strong, he has a very big character, which is really necessary to be a champion”, rejoices his new coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Victorious of Stanislas Wavrinka for his entry into the tournament, the Danish had been described as “baby” by the Swiss after the game, during tightening of hands. A reference to his behavior sometimes a room on the court, as when he had asked the Parisian public – acquired from the cause of “stan” – to come together with a gesture of the hand after a winning point. However, the Danish will need the support of the boiling public from Bercy on Sunday to unbolt Novak Djokovic, owner of the premises.
