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