Novak Djokovic will compete for his seventh Paris Masters crown against Grigor Dimitrov following respective semi-final wins for the pair on Saturday.
Djokovic had never lost a Paris semi-final before taking on Andrey Rublev and maintained that unblemished streak in a three-set slog with the Russian, recovering from a 1-0 deficit to prevail 5-7 7-6[3] 7-5.
The unseeded Dimitrov was also pushed all the way by seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, but the Bulgarian reached his second ATP 1000 final with a 6-3 6-7[1] 7-6[3] triumph.
Following a straightforward win over Tomas Etcheverry in his opening clash, Djokovic had done things the hard way against Tallon Griekspoor and Holger Rune, prevailing in three sets after a nervy tie-breaker in each.
Saturday's semi was no different, and Djokovic's recent strenuous battles appeared to take its toll on him, as Rublev took the opening set before the Serbian required treatment on a back issue later on in the match.
However, with 17 aces and just 15 unforced errors to his name, Djokovic held his own but advanced in bittersweet circumstances, as Rublev double-faulted on match point in the 12th game of the third.
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"Rublev was suffocating me like a snake suffocates a frog for most of the match," Djokovic said on the court. "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."
The 24-time Grand Slam winner also revealed that he had been struggling with an illness throughout the week, adding: "[I have been] going through quite a difficult stomach virus that really made me feel terrible the past three days, but somehow managing to find strength, find energy under the adrenaline rush of playing a match."
Meanwhile, Dimitrov ended a six-year streak without a Masters final appearance in a two-and-a-half hour battle with Tsitsipas, saving each of the four break points he faced and winning 78% of points behind his second serve.
Thanks to a trio of winners and two unforced errors from his Greek opponent, Dimitrov stormed into a 5-0 lead in the third-set tie-breaker, and well-hit passing backhand punched his ticket to the final.
"There were no tears but I got very emotional. I am just living in the moment right now. It has been a funny road of late, but each win means more and more to me," Dimitrov said on the court as he made his first Masters final since Cincinnati in 2017, where he defeated Nick Kyrgios in straight sets.
The world number 17 will be meeting Djokovic for the 13th time on Sunday, but he has lost 11 of his previous 12 top-level meetings with the Serbian, suffering nine defeats on the bounce since a 2013 win at the 2013 Madrid Masters.
Ben Knapton
