Alexander Zverev downed Holger Rune at the Paris Masters to reach his first hard-court final of the season. 

Zverev recovered from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, resisting a late fightback from Rune to earn a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) victory in the French capital. 

The German, who hit 25 winners and won 84% of his first-serve points, also climbed above Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP rankings after securing his 65th win of the season. 

He is a former finalist in Paris, having lost in the title match in 2020 to Daniil Medvedev, but will be hoping to clinch a seventh ATP Masters 1000 crown this time around. 

Zverev will face either home favourite Ugo Humbert or former champion Karen Khachanov in Sunday's showpiece.

Data Debrief: Zverev one away

Zverev's triumph saw him reach a 12th ATP Masters final. Since the format's inception in 1990, the German surpassed Boris Becker (11) for the seventh-most in tournament history.

It was also his 65th win of the season, equalling Jannik Sinner (65) for the most ATP match victories of any player so far this year. 

Holger Rune was on the end of an upset as he lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Mpetshi Perricard has soared into the top 50 after starting the year ranked at 205, and the Frenchman was on top form against his fellow youngster on Saturday.

He served 17 aces to get the better of Rune and tee up a final against American Ben Shelton.

"It's amazing to be in the final. I played a good match today. It was difficult against Holger, but I found the key to win this match," said Mpetshi Perricard.

"Inside of me there was a lot of emotion, but I tried to calm it down. It's nice to be in the final and I hope to get the win."

Shelton, meanwhile, beat Arthur Fils 6-3 7-6 (11-9).

At the Vienna Open, Jack Draper ensured his place in the top 15 of the ATP rankings and reach the first ATP 500 final of his career by overcoming Lorenzo Musetti 6-2 6-4.

Musetti downed favourite Alexander Zverev to reach the last four, but the Italian was no match for Draper, despite the Briton letting a 4-2 lead slip in the second set.

"I thought the first set was a really high level from my side," said Draper.

"Lorenzo is a really tough competitor. I've known him since I was really young and playing against him is always so difficult. He's had an incredible season.

"The second set was really up and down. There were some long points and definitely some nerves and difficult moments, but I'm really proud of the way I kept on fighting and kept on going. In the end I got it done."

Karen Khachanov will be Draper's opponent in the final, after the Russian overcame Alex De Minaur.

Carlos Alcaraz set up a mouth-watering 6 Kings Slam semi-final showdown with Rafael Nadal after a straight-sets win over Holger Rune.

The winner of this season's French Open and Wimbledon, the Spaniard took just 72 minutes to wrap up a commanding 6-4 6-2 victory in Riyadh.

The first set was neck and neck until game nine, when Alcaraz broke before holding to 15 to move halfway towards victory.

The four-time major champion then broke in games three and five to take complete control of the second set, which he eventually wrapped up to book what could be one last showdown with the retiring Nadal.

"I tried to adapt my game a bit to the conditions on the court," he said during his on-court post-match interview. 

"At the beginning, I struggled a little bit with my returns. I had to find the solutions, but once I did, I started to play better and better, and he struggled a little bit more than me."

On the prospect of facing Nadal, he added: "Since I started playing tennis, I have watched his matches. He's still my idol. He's been a really important person for my life and my career. He was one of the reasons I wanted to become a professional tennis player.

"Playing against him once again is going to be tough for me, but I'm going to try and enjoy it. I'm going to go full power; he's going to be stronger than ever before."

Data Debrief: Solid service from Alcaraz

Alcaraz will be relishing the prospect of going head to head once more with Nadal, who he partnered in the men's doubles at the Paris Olympics.

The world number two set up the clash after a dominant display on serve. Indeed, he won all nine service games, winning 37 of 45 points, and hit six aces while not facing a single break point.

Ben Shelton is confident he can retain his Japan Open crown after kickstarting his title defence with a victory over fellow American Reilly Opelka in three sets. 

Shelton, who captured his maiden tour-level trophy a year ago in Tokyo, came from a set down to win 3-6 6-1 6-4 in an hour and 47 minutes on Thursday. 

He came into the competition off the back of a victory over Daniil Medvedev at the Laver Cup, though Team World went on to lose the tournament in Berlin. 

However, with consecutive wins under his belt, the 21-year-old American believes his previous success in Tokyo will stand him in good stead this time around. 

"I have a lot of love for this tournament and this city," Shelton said. "I have a lot of confidence. Being here and knowing the situations I have come through in this exact stadium, in the most important moments."

"I think it was a tough start. I felt like I was struggling a little bit and getting rhythm. I am happy with the way I competed. Breaking serve multiple times gives me a lot of confidence."

Former Japan Open champion Taylor Fritz, though, suffered a shock first-round exit in three sets to Frenchman Arthur Fils. 

Fils produced a classy performance on his tournament debut in Tokyo, handing the recent US Open finalist a 6-4 6-3 6-3 defeat.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was another big name to suffer a shock defeat, as he lost 4-6 6-1 6-2 to Alex Michelsen.

Holger Rune, however, booked his place in the next round, but was pushed all the way by Alejandro Tabilo, eventually prevailing 6-2 5-7 6-4 in the decider. 

Up next for the Dane is wildcard Yoshihito Nishioka.

Holger Rune made a strong start at the Montreal Open as he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2 3-6 6-2.

Rune, who withdrew from the Olympics due to a wrist injury, had been set to face Milos Raonic in the first round.

However, Raonic withdrew just moments before the match was due to start, so lucky loser Bautista Agut filled in.

It left Rune having to swiftly adapt to a new opponent, but despite a wobble in the second set, the Dane was generally in control throughout Tuesday's contest.

"It was a challenge for sure," Rune said. "It's never easy coming back after a little break — not the longest break, but for me, I'm very young and luckily I haven't been injured much. It was difficult but I think I managed to find the rhythm quickly.

"It was kind of tricky. It's two completely different game styles. I kind of had to adjust from one tactic to another in five minutes. Luckily, I played Bautista before so I had a clue, and obviously he's been on Tour for many years, so I know him very well.

"It was not easy. I was expecting a big server and trying to manage to get in the rallies with Milos, and now it was a completely different story. I needed to attack much more and play on my terms."

Next up for Rune, who has won 13 of his 15 opening-round matches this season, is a tie against Pablo Carreno Busta.

Data Debrief: Scandi style

Since the format’s inception in 1990, world number 17 Rune is now the fourth Scandinavian player to claim 30+ wins from an opening 50 ATP Masters 1000 matches.

He joins Stefan Edberg (41), Magnus Gustafsson (32) and Casper Ruud (31) on that list.

Holger Rune advanced to the Hamburg Open quarter-finals on Thursday as he looks to move on swiftly from his Wimbledon disappointment.

Rune's All England Club campaign was ruthlessly ended by Novak Djokovic in the fourth round, beaten in straight sets by the eventual finalist.

The Dane gave himself little time to lick his wounds and has quickly returned to the court and returned to form with his debut in Hamburg.

Looking for his first ATP Tour title of the year, the second seed followed up a straight-sets win over Fabian Marozsan by defeating Marco Trungelliti 6-4 6-3.

"It's been very intense since Wimbledon," Rune said. "I only had one day off, actually.

"I was like, 'I don’t want to rest, I want to go straight back to practice', because I was very disappointed.

"I went straight back to work on the things that needed to be done, and now I have the chance to train those things in matches."

Next up will be Arthur Fils, who booked his last-eight place by beating 2023 Hamburg finalist Laslo Djere 7-6 (7-3) 6-2.

Top seed Alexander Zverev remains a threat in the top half of the draw, however, and he will face Zhang Zhizhen in the quarters.

Novak Djokovic aimed a brutal swing at the Wimbledon crowd after slamming "disrespect" from Centre Court spectators towards him during his victory over Holger Rune.

The 24-time grand slam champion breezed past Rune in straight sets on Monday, reaching his 15th quarter-final at the grass-court major, a tally only bettered by Roger Federer (18).

Denmark's Rune struggled throughout a humbling 6-3 6-4 6-2 defeat, though enjoyed the majority support at Wimbledon's top attraction, with Djokovic shushing the crowd at one point during the second set.

The seven-time Wimbledon winner noted that interaction in his on-court interview, hitting back at those who were against him.

"To all the fans that have had respect and stayed here tonight, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I appreciate it," a visibly frustrated Djokovic said.

"And to all those people that have chosen to disrespect the player, in this case, me, have a good night!"

When Rishi Persad, master of ceremonies on Centre Court, suggested the support was purely for Rune and not to disrespect, Djokovic doubled down on his assessment.

"They were. They were. I am not accepting it. No, no, no, I know they were cheering for Rune but that's an excuse to also boo," the 37-year-old responded.

"Listen, I have been on the tour for more than 20 years. I know all the tricks. I focus on the respectful people that pay for the ticket, and love tennis and appreciate the players.

"I have played in much more hostile environments, trust me – you guys can't touch me."

Rune failed to break Djokovic's service throughout a one-sided clash as the latter set up a quarter-final meeting with ninth seed Alex de Minaur.

"I don't think he has played anywhere close to his best to be honest," Djokovic said of his 15th-seed opponent. "It was a tough start for him. He lost the first 12 points and I think that got to him mentally.

"Waiting all day to come out on the court is never easy. The tension is building up and [you are] stressed to get out on the court.

"On my end I think I've done things at the important moments. Things could have looked different if I lost those services games but very solid at the end and I'm very happy to get through in straight sets."

Djokovic appeared a doubt for this tournament, having pulled out of the French Open midway through at Roland-Garros before undergoing surgery for a troublesome knee issue.

"I'm feeling great on the court and let's take it day by day," Djokovic assured.

"There's always something to work on in the off days. I'll speak with my team tomorrow and analyse this match and get ready for the next one."

Novak Djokovic coasted into the Wimbledon quarter-finals after dispatching Holger Rune in straight sets on Monday.

The 24-time major champion held his serve throughout a dominant Centre Court performance, triumphing 6-3 6-4 6-2 to move into the 60th grand slam quarter-final of his illustrious career.

Djokovic never looked troubled by his opponent, nor by the knee injury that required surgery last month, en route to setting up a last-eight meeting with ninth seed Alex de Minaur.

The seven-time Wimbledon champion dropped sets in his previous two victories but Rune's early showing suggested a routine victory from the off, as the Dane committed nine unforced errors in a one-sided first set.

Serbia's Djokovic latched onto those failures at will, taking just half an hour to seize a 1-0 match lead after breaking Rune's first service game and holding out from then on.

Rune improved in the second set, yet a cruel drop of service handed a 4-3 advantage to Djokovic, who then relinquished six set-point chances on his opponent's struggling serve.

A partisan crowd appeared in favour of Rune, celebrating every point won, yet Djokovic needed just one more set point to seal the second before glancing towards the spectators to quieten them down.

Djokovic repeated the dose in the third – and final – set, breaking Rune's opening serving game, though the 15th seed did squander an opportunity to break when attempting to level midway through.

That missed chance was once again punished emphatically as Djokovic secured another break in the following game before sealing a convincing victory in just over two hours.

Data Debrief: Djokovic edging toward Wimbledon history

Djokovic held a modest 3-3 against top-20 players in 2024 before this clash, though Rune proved no match for the Wimbledon veteran.

With this victory, Djokovic moved second in the all-time list for most quarter-final appearances at the grass-court major, surpassing Jimmy Connors (14) – only Roger Federer (18) can better the Serbian's 15.

Djokovic's next aim will be levelling Federer's record eight triumphs at Wimbledon, starting with a last-eight clash against De Minaur.

Novak Djokovic claimed his fourth-set tie-break against Alexei Popyrin was the best he has played this year after defeating the Australian at Wimbledon. 

Djokovic came from a set down to beat Popyrin in four, confirming his place in the last 16 with a 3-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) triumph. He will face Holger Rune next. 

The world number two continued his record of having never lost to Popyrin in what was their third meeting, the previous one coming at the Australian Open earlier this year. 

The Serbian praised Popyrin for his valiant effort, going on to admit the tie-break in the fourth saw him produce his highest level this year.

"It was another tough match. I didn’t expect anything less than what we experienced on the court today from Alexei," Djokovic said.  

"I knew he was going to come to the match with confidence, a lot of self-belief. He was close to winning [when we played] in Australia earlier this year.

"With that serve and powerful forehand, he’s dangerous on any surface.

"I knew he was in form and he was going to come out believing he could win. He was the better player in the first set.

"I think I played a good second and third and the fourth was anybody’s game. He was serving very well. It was very difficult to read his serve.

"It was just a very challenging match, mentally as well, to hang in there. I'm not allowed to have big concentration lapses.

"I think I’ve done well in that regard in one of the best tie-breaks I’ve played this year, that’s for sure."

Data Debrief: Resilient Djokovic shows his class

While Djokovic was far from vintage in the first set, he showed the kind of resilience that we've seen throughout his career. 

Djokovic became only the third player in the Open Era to achieve 50 Grand Slam match wins after turning 35, along with Ken Rosewall (64) and Roger Federer (62).

A difficult spell for Holger Rune continued as the Dane was beaten by Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Queen's Club Championships on Monday.

Rune has fallen from a high of four down to number 15 in the ATP rankings and was unable to hold on to a lead in his match with Thompson in London.

Australian Thompson fought back to prevail 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 in an entertaining encounter against the seventh seed.

Rune made the semi-finals at Queen's and the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year, but is now seriously lacking momentum as the third grand slam of 2024 fast approaches.

Elsewhere at the ATP 500 event, third seed Grigor Dimitrov is safely through after cruising past Adrian Mannarino 6-1 6-2 in only 63 minutes.

Dimitrov will face either Sebastian Korda or Karen Khachanov in the last 16. 

Top seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz starts his campaign against Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday. 

That is also when Thompson’s compatriot and last year’s runner-up Alex de Minaur begins his tournament with what could be a testing clash against Italian Lorenzo Musetti.

Data Debrief: Thompson's serve sees off Rune 

In the first career meeting between the two players, both Rune and Thompson were strong on serve. The three sets only produced two breaks – one from each player – in a battle that topped the two-hour mark.

Thompson came into the tournament on a five-match losing streak, but has often impressed on grass, with this being his 64th career win on the surface.

He had eight aces to just one double fault and crucially won 69 per cent (20/29) of his second-serve points, affording Rune just one break-point opportunity across the whole match.

Thompson added 27 winners and could face home hope Andy Murray next round if the Briton can defeat Alexei Popyrin.

As for Dimitrov, he recorded 28 winners and only five unforced errors in his impressive win over Mannarino. Having made the quarter-finals at the French Open, the Bulgarian looks poised to enter Wimbledon in good form.

Holger Rune believes he should be considered among the favourites to win a grand slam in 2024.

The 20-year-old Dane enjoyed a strong campaign last year, winning one title and reaching the finals of the Masters in Rome and Monte-Carlo.

Rune got this season off to a good start too, reaching the final of the Brisbane International, which he lost in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov.

World number eight Rune will be aiming to go one further at the Australian Open, with his campaign starting against Yoshihito Nishioka.

While Opta's predictive model gives Rune just a one per cent chance of going all the way in Melbourne, he is confident he can claim his maiden major title this year.

"I believe that I am a contender to win a grand slam next year," he told Stats Perform.

"It's going to take a lot of work, but I've sacrificed a lot and I'm trusting the process every day and coming out of my comfort zone.

"Every practice is physical and trying to improve mentally also so if I do better next year it won't surprise me." 

It is not just the four majors on the cards this season, but a potential medal at the Paris Olympics.

Rune added: "Yeah, it's going to be a very exciting season. There's a lot of chances next year for grand slams, for the Olympics, and I'm going to go for it.

"I'm going to go to every tournament that I can.

"[The Olympics mean] a lot, everything. With the grand slams, it's the biggest thing in tennis. It's every fourth year, so it's very rare.

"I think if you ask me whether I'd rather win a grand slam or the Olympics, I think I'll still say a grand slam, but the second thing I would say is the Olympics. It's a massive event."

Novak Djokovic is still setting "unbelievable" standards and remains the man to beat heading into the 2024 campaign, according to Holger Rune.

Twenty-four time grand slam winner Djokovic added another Australian Open, French Open and US Open crown to his collection this year.

The 36-year-old won a Tour-best seven singles titles in 2023 and finished top of the ATP Rankings for a record-extending eighth year in a row.

"I think it's great to see that Novak can still play at this level. It's unbelievable what he's doing," Rune said.

Only Carlos Alcaraz stopped Djokovic from landing a career first calendar Grand Slam with his triumph in the Wimbledon final.

However, if the next generation are to truly take the mantle from Djokovic, Rune accepts they need to start bloodying the Serbian's nose more regularly.

Alcaraz was closest to Djokovic in 2023 with six tour titles, while Daniil Medvedev won five and Jannik Sinner four.

For all the talk of someone new potentially dominating the male game, though, Rune does not believe Djokovic's era of dominance is over yet.

"Alcaraz won a slam this year. Sinner finished in the top four. I was number four for the first time this year," he said. 

"I think the next generation is very interesting. I think we are trying to compete with Novak and to see if we can match him. 

"Still, he's winning three out of four grand slams - it's kind of tough. Before we can say that, we need to start winning more regularly against him."

Rafael Nadal's return from injury will be "great for tennis", says world number eight Holger Rune, as the Spaniard builds towards an appearance at next month's Australian Open.

Nadal will return after close to a year on the sidelines at the Brisbane International, which runs from December 31 to January 7, as he targets a bid for a 23rd grand slam title at Melbourne Park later in January.

The 37-year-old has not competed since this year's edition of the Australian Open, having suffered a hip injury during a surprise second-round defeat to Mackenzie McDonald.

Nadal attempted to recover from his injury before the start of the French Open in May, only to be forced to withdraw from that tournament and undergo season-ending surgery.

The 'King of Clay' has said 2024 will likely be his final year on the tour, and while Rune accepts it will be difficult for Nadal to recapture his best form, the Dane is excited to see how he fares.

"It's great for tennis that Rafa is coming back," Rune said. "It brings even more fans to the tournaments and more excitement for the sport. I think this is good. 

"We're going to have Novak [Djokovic], Rafa, [Carlos] Alcaraz, [Jannik] Sinner and more guys for the Australian Open. That's going to be super fun and it's exciting to see how it's going to go.

"You see some videos where he's practicing hard, but of course it's always difficult to come back and play after so long. But I'm excited to see it."

Jack Draper was the last player to lose to Nadal, going down in four sets in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open, and he is keen for a chance to avenge that defeat next year.

"I mean, I think it's amazing for tennis. Obviously, he's put in a lot of hard work to be back on tour, I'm seeing lots of videos of him training very intensely," Draper said.

"It's just good for the spectators, the players, that someone of his calibre – one of the greatest of all time – is back playing.

"I hope I get a chance to play him again because I think I was one of the last people to play him. It'll be amazing to have him back on the tour."

World number 32 Alexander Bublik echoed those sentiments, adding he was excited to see who will have the honour of being Nadal's final opponent if – as expected – he retires next year.

"Of course, it's very exciting that Rafa is coming back," Bublik said. "He's a legend of our game.

"But I just discussed it with Holger… I'm more excited to think who is going to play him in his last match, who he's going to finish such a legendary career against. 

"So for me, it's an exciting time. We'll see how he comes back but he's going to bring a lot to the game."

Novak Djokovic ensured he will finish the year ranked world number one for an eighth time after battling to a late-night victory over Holger Rune in his opening match at the ATP Finals.

Djokovic is chasing a record seventh title but again found 20-year-old Rune, who is making his debut at the eight-man event, a troublesome opponent before pulling off a third win in five meetings.

It was past midnight in Turin when Djokovic completed a 7-6 (4) 6-7 (1) 6-3 victory after three hours and four minutes on court.

Rune has fared much better against Djokovic than most of his rivals over the last couple of years, beating him in Paris last autumn and Rome in the spring before a narrow defeat in the French capital a week-and-a-half ago.

The Serbian went on to claim the Masters series title, maintaining his record of not having lost a match since the Wimbledon final.

It was Rune who struck first with a break to lead 3-2 but Djokovic hit straight back and the high-class set went all the way to a tie-break, which the top seed took with a forehand smashed cross-court past his helpless opponent.

Rune reacted well, breaking again to lead 2-0 in the second set, but once more Djokovic found the immediate response, and a strong serve foiled the young Dane when he forced a set point at 4-5.

Rune slumped after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals prior to hiring Djokovic’s former coach Boris Becker last month, but there were plenty of moments here to demonstrate his huge talent and fearsome ball-striking.

He has won at least a set against Djokovic in every match they have played, but he had a helping hand in setting up a decider, his rival playing a highly unusual lacklustre tie-break.

Djokovic broke straight away to start the deciding set, only for this time Rune to recover the deficit immediately, prompting a frustrated Djokovic to stamp on two rackets, snapping the frames.

But he broke again to lead 4-2 and this time there was no way back for Rune.

Djokovic told Prime Video: “It took everything. I saw in the first game when he fired shots from the baseline, I knew it was going to be a tough night for me. I thought he played great. I played great in some moments.

“Overall a win is a win. It was a very emotional win and a tough win knowing the significance of tonight’s match. After a really terrible second-set tie-break I think I played a really solid third set.”

Earlier, Italian Jannik Sinner delighted the crowd by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening singles match.

Sinner, 22, played as an alternate two years ago but qualified for the first time this season after claiming four ATP Tour titles and rising to world number four. He is one of the favourites to lift the trophy this week, which would be the dream scenario for the home fans, and a 6-4 6-4 victory over Tsitsipas is a big step towards the semi-finals.

Carlos Alcaraz beat fellow young gun and childhood friend Holger Rune to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time.

World number one Alcaraz and sixth seed Rune played doubles together when they were 14 and now the duo were the first men under 21 to face each other in a Wimbledon quarter-final in the open era.

It was the first time they had met at a grand slam, the start of a rivalry which could last for 10 or 15 years, and it was the Spaniard who came out top with a 7-6 (3) 6-4 6-4 victory on Centre Court.

Just six days separate the pair – Rune being the older – and as they headed into a first-set tie-break there was virtually nothing to choose between them either.

Alcaraz had hit 12 winners to Rune’s 13, both had made 12 unforced errors and both had won a total of 38 points.

Both had also double-faulted once, but Rune picked the wrong time to add to that particular tally to hand Alcaraz the advantage in the tie-break, which he went on to win with a stunning backhand return.

They exchanged further blows until 4-4 in the second set when Rune netted a simple overhead, and Alcaraz punished a second serve with another pin-point return to secure the first break of the match.

With England captain Ben Stokes watching in the crowd, it was Rune’s title hopes that were turning to ashes.

The weary Dane was given a warning for a time violation and was promptly broken for 3-2 in the third.

Rune saved a match point on his own serve but could not get near Alcaraz’s as the top seed wrapped up victory in two hours and 20 minutes.

Alcaraz, still a relative grass-court rookie despite his win at Queen’s Club a fortnight ago, said: “Honestly it’s amazing for me, a dream since I started playing tennis, making good results at Wimbledon, such a beautiful tournament.

“To be able to play a semi-final here… I think I’m playing at a great level, I didn’t expect to play such a great level on this surface so for me, it’s crazy.

“At the beginning I was really nervous playing a quarter-final and playing against Rune, someone the same age and playing at a great level. But once you get to a quarter-final there are no friends, you have to focus on yourself and I did great in that.”

Alcaraz will play Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat him in the second round two years ago when he really was a novice on grass, in the semi-final.

“We played two times, once here at Wimbledon,” added Alcaraz. “It’s going to be a tough one.

“But right now I’m going to enjoy this moment. You don’t play a semi-final every year.”