Paris – World number one Novak Djokovic won a sixth Paris title and record 37th Masters crown on Sunday, beating Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
The 34-year-old Serbian gained a measure of revenge over his Russian opponent who dashed his dreams of a Grand Slam sweep when he beat him in the US Open final in September.
Victory on Sunday was Djokovic's second record in as many days after he was confirmed as season-ending world number one for a seventh time.
In an entertaining contest, befitting a duel between the top two in the world, Djokovic again had to come back from a set down after needing three sets to defeat Hubert Hurkacz in the semi-finals.
It was only the second time the top two in Paris had clashed in the final.
Sunday's crowd got better value for their money as back in 1990 Boris Becker retired injured at 3-3 in the first set against then number one Stefan Edberg.
The pivotal game came as Djokovic served to level the match, saving two break points before securing the second set on his third set point after 11 minutes.
Djokovic pressed home the advantage, breaking Medvedev twice in the deciding set to move to 5-2 with the Russian showing his frustration by firing a ball into the crowd and having words with the umpire as he sat down.
It appeared to briefly fire him up as he got a break back in the next game but his serve once again let him down and it was Djokovic who raised his arms in celebration.
AFP