Polish qualifier Jerzy Janowicz’s dream run at the Paris Masters continues as he ousted local favorite Gilles Simon, 6-4, 7-5, to reach his first ATP final.
Whenever the ‘Big Four’ are absent from the closing stages of a big tournament, there’s bound to be some grumbling, but at least some of the Bercy crowd didn’t seem too bothered. ‘J.J. = SO FRESH! SO UNBELIEVABLE!’ read one adoring sign. It was another impressive, composed performance from Janowicz, who’s winning fans as quickly as he is gaining ranking points this week.
Simon, looking to reach his second Masters final, was rendered largely irrelevant throughout the match, partly by serving at a paltry 46 percent and partly by Janowicz’s power and precision. The Pole broke to 15 at 2-2 with a forehand return winner that skidded off the baseline, and although Simon kept the deficit to a single break, he was no more than a bystander during Janowicz’s service games. The qualifier missed (by my count) just two first serves in the entire set, winning 86 percent of points behind that first delivery and hitting 20 winners to Simon’s six. Janowicz was also moving, if anything, even better than he had in previous victories over Andy Murray and Janko Tipsarevic, loping around his forehand and having little difficulty in generating pace for crushing winners into the corner, even when moving backwards.
More impressive than that scintillating first set, however, was Janowicz’s response when the second set became something of a struggle. Simon regrouped well to open with a straightforward hold, while Janowicz eschewed forehand winners for the delicate drop-shots that are quickly becoming his trademark. They worked more often than not—just about—but often got him into trouble as well when his first serve completely deserted him; his first-set percentage of 88 dropped to 56 for the match.
Simon battled his way to deuce on Janowicz’s serve at 1-2 but couldn’t find break point, then recovered well from a 0-30 deficit as he served at 3-3, keeping consistent depth on his shots in a baseline exchange for perhaps the first time in the match and consequently eliciting the error. It was no more than a mirage of a momentum shift, however, as Janowicz found his first serve again and delivered one of his finest service games at 3-4, crowning it with a fine stretch volley and his 10th and 11th aces.
It is, perhaps, in keeping with Janowicz’s wildly improbable, even miraculous run in Paris that when he finally got the crucial break with Simon serving at 5-5, it was courtesy of another audacious, risky drop-shot. He served out the match showing little emotion—beyond the burning-eyed intensity we’re quickly coming to recognize as habitual—until he sealed his place in the finals and broke down in tears, too overwelmed to speak during his TV interviews. It was an endearingly youthful moment from a player whose raw but powerful game has seemed to come together before our very eyes this week.