Dimitrov beats Tsitsipas to reach Paris Masters final

The 32-year-old Bulgarian overcame strong resistance on Saturday from seventh-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas to record a 6-3 6-7 (7-1) 7-6 (7-3) victory to reach the final of the Paris Masters.

He will face world No.1 Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.

Djokovic is looking to extend his own record by winning a seventh Paris Masters crown after beating Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 on Saturday.

He made the most of a poor start by Tsitsipas to claim the first set before his Greek rival saved two break points at 4-4 in the second set and started a comeback.

Dimitrov made several mistakes in the tie-breaker as Tsitsipas forced a decider, gesturing toward the crowd to ask for support.

Tsitsipas, however, could not convert four break point chances in the third game. Dimitrov then rose to the occasion in the final tie-breaker when he hit three superb passing shots, including one to seal the match.

"I am just happy I was able to get through that match in such a manner," Dimitrov said.

"After that second set, especially the tie-break, it was getting very tricky again. 15-40 down in the third again and I was just thinking it can't keep going like this, so I have to change something," Dimitrov said.

Dimitrov rose to the occasion in the final tie-breaker when he hit three superb passing shots, including one to seal the match.

"The first five points in the tie-break were excellent," Dimitrov said. "I took those chances and that was all I could do against such a high-quality player.

"If you let him dictate, you are done. But I kept on believing and kept staying focused and made sure every time I had the ball on the racket, I did something with it."

Dimitrov is chasing his first tour-level tournament victory since 2017, when he won the ATP Finals. He reached his only previous Masters 1000 final the same year in Cincinnati.

Australian Associated Press