Paris Masters: Men’s singles champion Rune surprises Djokovic

• Holger Rune’s meteoric climb reached a new high when the 19-year-old pulled off an incredible comeback to defeat six-time champion Novak Djokovic
• Rune, who has now won 19 of his last 21 matches, was competing in his fourth straight ATP Tour final
• On his second championship point, the Dane ultimately sealed a surprising triumph in a boisterous atmosphere

At the Paris Masters on Sunday, Holger Rune’s meteoric climb reached a new high when the 19-year-old pulled off an incredible comeback to defeat six-time champion Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to win the men’s singles title and his first ATP Masters 1000 title.

Dane lost the first set, but he battled back to upset Djokovic and win the biggest trophy of his young career in a thrilling match after falling behind 0/40 in the first game of the second set and 1-3 in the third. He also saved six break points in the last game.

“It means everything to me, a perfect way to finish the week. It’s a privilege to share the court with Novak,” said Rune.

Rune, who has now won 19 of his last 21 matches, was competing in his fourth straight ATP Tour final. The Dane will reach No. 10 in the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday thanks to his title run in Paris.

Rune advanced past Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach his maiden Masters 1000 final, giving him five Top 10 victories in as many days. These triumphs came after a stunning victory over Stan Wawrinka in the first round in which he turned back three match points.

Rune was proud of himself for maintaining composure throughout another tense match against Djokovic.

“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,” Rune spoke during the arduous 12th game of the third set.

In the semifinals in Paris, Rune ended Felix Auger-streak Aliassime’s of 16 consecutive victories without flinching, but the 19-year-old had a jittery start to his first Masters 1000 final. After the Dane committed back-to-back double faults that gave Djokovic an early break for 2-1, the Serbian focused on his groundstrokes to easily win the first set.

When Djokovic quickly took a 0/40 lead in the first game of the second set, it looked like he was in perfect control. However, a string of points completely turned the tide of the match. Unusually, he sent a backhand pass after a feeble Rune approach, and the Dane then displayed excellent defence and assured shotmaking to complete the escape.

The significance of Dane’s rebound was highlighted right away when, in the following game, when Djokovic missed a forehand, he converted his first break point of the match. Rune boldly held onto his lead as he started to effectively control play with his backhand, forcing a deciding set.

After breaking for 6-5 in the decisive set, Rune displayed his tenacity to save six break points against Djokovic, who resisted giving up on winning his 39th Masters 1000 championship.

On his second championship point, the Dane ultimately sealed a surprising triumph in a boisterous atmosphere, making him the city’s youngest champion since Boris Becker in 1986.