Paris Masters: Teenager Holger Rune stuns Novak Djokovic in thrilling final

Denmark’s Holger Rune defeated defending champion Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a thrilling final on Sunday at the Paris Masters, snapping the Serb’s 13-match winning streak in the process.
The match had a brilliant ebb and flow to it, with a dramatic final set going the way of the 19-year-old after a 16-minute-long final game in which he was forced to save six break points before winning the biggest title of his career. Rune, who has gone from strength to strength after reaching the quarterfinal of the French Open earlier this year, won the Masters 1000 title after defeating five players in the top 10 of the world rankings, a new record.
The Dane looked second best for most of the first set, which Djokovic raced through after picking up an early break. The Serb seemed to be on his way to another routine victory and a seventh Paris Bercy title after he was 0-40 up in the first game of the second, before Rune tuned in on his serve and immediately broke to take a 2-0 lead and then win the set.

Harder, Better, Faster, HOLGER 🏆
19-year-old @holgerrune2003 SHOCKS Djokovic to clinch his maiden Masters 1000 title in Paris!!#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/C7Z2s7xWJn
— Tennis TV (@TennV) November 6, 2022
The drama of the final was captured in the deciding set, with Djokovic seeing his early break slip, following qhich the momentum went entirely the Dane’s way. The Serb dropped his serve at 5-5 to let Rune serve for the match, and the game of the season soon followed. Djokovic, far the best returner on tour, used his backhand ferociously to numb Rune’s first serves, forcing his opponent to save break point after break point. However, a couple of unforced errors, especially a poorly-timed drop shot on his fifth break point after a brilliantly constructed rally, let him down at the death. Rune was able to produce two big serves to round out the game and win the final Masters 1000 event of the year.

👑 HOLGER’S TIME IS NOW 👑
The moment 🇩🇰 @holgerrune2003 won his first Masters 1000 title! @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/Y7lgepv35g
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 6, 2022
Rune’s remarkable run in Paris, which saw him beat World No. 10 Hubert Hurakcz, No. 9 Andrey Rublev, No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, and No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime, prior to the final, will now see him go into the top 10 of the ATP rankings.
The Serb will drop 800 ranking points after failing to defend his title, and slips to eighth in the World rankings. Despite the final loss, the Serb remains the firm favourite for the ATP Finals that begin on November 20.