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There are now two teenagers in the world's top 10 tennis players after Danish 19-year-old Holger Rune beat hot favourite Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to win his first Masters title in Paris.
- Holger Rune joins world number one Carlos Alcaraz as teenagers in the top 10 of the men's rankings
- This year has been filled with first-time major winners, finalists and Masters champions
- Meanwhile, in 2022, tennis also bid farewell to Ash Barty, Roger Federer and Serena Williams
Rune, who beat top-10 players Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the final, moves from 18th into 10th spot on the ATP rankings, dropping Hurkacz to 11th.
He joins 19-year-old world number one and US Open champion Alcaraz as the other teen in the top 10, with nine of the top 12 aged 25 years or under.
Russian 26-year-old Daniil Medvedev is still a relative young buck at world number five, while second-ranked Rafael Nadal and world number eight Djokovic, at 36 and 35 years old respectively, boost the average age of the top 10 significantly.
"I'm not happy that you beat me, but on the other hand I'm happy for you, because I like your personality. You're a very dedicated guy who loves tennis," Djokovic said to Rune at the trophy presentation in Paris.
"You've put in a lot of hours of hard work, it's paying off for you and your future is bright."
Rune looked down and out when six-time Paris champion Djokovic produced a near-flawless opening set, with the Serbian virtually unstoppable on his first serve as the 19-year-old struggled with unforced errors.
But the tables turned in the second set, when Rune broke early and the young Dane took confidence from that to react well under pressure, using his serve and two-handed backhand to good effect to force a decider.
In the final set, Djokovic raced to a 3-1 lead but Rune quickly broke back, with the Serbian calling for a physio during a changeover to check on his thigh before the Dane levelled the set at 3-3.
After winning a break, to go up 6-5, Rune served for the title but Djokovic put up a resolute defence as the 12th game stretched on for more than 17 minutes, with the crowd rising to their feet many times to applaud some engrossing rallies.
But Rune found a reserve of energy to save six break points before he sealed victory when Djokovic found the net, and he fell to the ground in relief.
He acknowledged Djokovic during the presentation.
"You're one of my favourite players. I've been watching you since I was a little kid. It's a pleasure to share the court with you," Rune said.
"I really enjoyed my time at the tournament here and I can't wait to be back here next year."
Rune has withdrawn from the year-ending, under-21 Next Gen Finals, to take his place as first alternate for the ATP Finals.
He was ranked outside the top 100 at the start of the year, but has joined the likes of Alcaraz, Borna Ćorić, Pablo Carreño Busta and Taylor Fritz as first-time Masters winners in 2022.
This year also saw Casper Ruud, Alcaraz and 27-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios reach their maiden major finals, with Karen Khachanov, Cameron Norrie and Frances Tiafoe also reaching the final four at majors for the first time.
There were similar breakthroughs on the women's side, with 23-year-old Kazakh Elena Rybakina winning her first slam at Wimbledon, while American Danielle Collins and 18-year-old compatriot Coco Gauff finishing as runners-up for the first time in Melbourne and Paris respectively. Tunisia's Ons Jabeur also reached her first and second major finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Meanwhile, Iga Świątek solidified her place as the newest top player in the WTA, with victories at Roland Garros and the US Open, coming on the back of Aussie Ash Barty's shock retirement in March.
It all came as tennis bade farewell to legends of the game Roger Federer and Serena Williams, although how long Williams remains away from the sport remains to be seen.
ABC/Reuters