Novak Djokovic rallied to defeat Andrey Rublev 5-7, 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 in a gripping Paris Masters semi-final on Saturday, earning a shot at a record-extending seventh title in the final against Grigor Dimitrov.
The world number one relied on his unflinching powers of recovery to work his way back from a set down before sealing victory when fifth seed Rublev doubled-faulted on match point. "Rublev was suffocating me like a snake suffocates a frog for most of the match," said Djokovic. "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." Djokovic remains undefeated in nine semi-final appearances at Bercy and stretched his winning run to 17 matches -- a streak which includes his record-tying 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open.
His only defeat in his last 31 matches was a five-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, which ruined his bid for a calendar Grand Slam.