The third-seeded Russian secured just his second win against the fourth-seeded Zverev in seven matches, and his previous victory against the imposing German was also in a Masters final last year in Shanghai.
Alexander Zverev advanced to the Paris Masters final for the first time by beating top-seeded Rafael Nadal 6-4, 7-5 on Saturday, denying Nadal the chance to win a tournament that continues to elude him.
Nadal has won 86 career titles, including 35 in Masters events, but lost his only final at the Bercy Indoor Arena in Paris 13 years ago.
India's Rohan Bopanna and Austrian Oliver Marach stunned ninth seeds Fabrice Martin and Jean-Julien Rojer in a hard-fought second-round encounter to enter the men's doubles quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.
The Croatian won 35 of his 48 first-service points at the indoor tournament and will next face Jordan Thompson of Australia.
The Paris Masters tennis tournament will be held without fans next week as France enters a second lockdown phase amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Djokovic said that he is looking to play towards the end of the year in order to put a gap between him and second-placed Rafael Nadal.
1,000 spectators will be allowed per day to comply with the current restrictions applicable in Paris amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the tournament organisers said in a statement on their official Twitter handle.
Novak Djokovic beat a nervous Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 Sunday to win his fifth Paris Masters final and 34th overall Masters title to move one behind all-time leader Rafael Nadal.
It was not immediately clear why Nadal had to pull out. "We saw something on the image, probably a small strain," said Nadal in the presser.
The top-ranked Serb remains on course for a fifth title at Bercy Arena and a 55th career showdown against old rival Rafael Nadal.
The Indo-Canadian duo fought hard for over 80 minutes before losing 5-7, 7-6, 8-10 against Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublov in the quarter-finals to crash out of the Paris Masters.
Novak Djokovic, currently No.1, and Rafael Nadal are vying for the top spot in the ATP rankings and if Nadal wins the Paris Masters, he will finish the year on top.
Novak Djokovic, currently No.1, and Rafael Nadal are vying for the top spot in the ATP rankings and if Nadal wins the Paris Masters, he will finish the year on top.
Djokovic, last year's runner-up, is bidding for the year-ending No. 1 ranking.
Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov entered the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters with a straight-set win over Fernando Verdasco and Benoit Paire.
The Spanish tennis star continued on his good form as he sets up a quarterfinal clash against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga at the Paris Masters.
Novak Djokovic defeated Corentin Moutet 7-6, 6-4 while Rafael Nadal got the better of Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-4.
Roger Federer withdrew from the Paris Masters in order to get some rest ahead of the ATP Finals in November.
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