Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates after his match with Holger Rune of Denmark (not pictured) during the ATP Tour Paris Masters tennis tournament in Paris, France, November 3, 2023. /CFP
Novak Djokovic edged out Holger Rune on Friday to avenge his defeat in last year's Paris Masters final and reach the last four, while Stefanos Tsitsipas set up a meeting with Grigor Dimitrov.
World number one Djokovic of Serbia missed a match point in the second set but eventually claimed a 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 win over Denmark's Rune in the quarterfinals after more than two-and-three-quarter hours on court at Bercy Arena.
The Serbian star is playing in his first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour event since lifting a record 24th Grand Slam title in New York in September.
"It was quite a similar match to last year's final, it was anybody's game in every set," Djokovic said.
"I played an awful tie-break in the second set, probably the worst one this year. But again credit to him for staying mentally tough and playing solid.
"We have similar games. Move well, defend well and all-round players."
Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka serves against Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina (not pictured) during their women's singles match of the WTA Finals tennis championships in Cancun, Mexico, November 3, 2023. /CFP
Women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus defeated the Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Rybakina 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a rain-disrupted group match on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Finals.
The Belarusian, who finished second in her group behind unbeaten American Jessica Pegula, kept her bid for the year-end number one ranking on track with a victory that took two days to complete.
She had won the first set but was trailing in the second when play was halted Thursday night after multiple rain delays.
Some 16 hours later, she and Rybakina returned to the outdoor hardcourts in Cancun, where fourth-ranked Rybakina calmly served out the second set to level the match in a matter of minutes.
Australian Open champion Sabalenka dug deep to halt Rybakina's momentum in the opening game of the third set, surviving nine deuces and two break points to hold serve.
She used a pair of ferocious forehands to break Rybakina in the fourth game.
If Sabalenka wins her semifinal on Saturday, she's assured of finishing the year at number one.
If she falls, she'll open the door to Poland's Iga Swiatek – who topped the rankings for 75 weeks but dropped from the summit after the U.S. Open.
(With input from AFP)