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Shapovalov falls to Djokovic in his first Masters 1000 final

The Canadian Press Published Sunday, November 3, 2019 10:28AM EST

Canadian Denis Shapovalov returns the ball to German Alexander Zverev during the 3rd round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Paris, France, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

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PARIS -- Denis Shapovalov's first appearance in a Masters 1000 final didn't end the way he wanted it to.

The Canadian was beaten by world No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday in the final of the Paris Masters.

The loss ends a solid week for Shapovalov, who will rise to a career-high No. 15 when the new rankings are released Monday. His previous career high was No. 20, and he came into the Paris Masters at No. 28.

Shapovalov defeated higher-ranked opponents in three straight matches to reach the semifinals of the tournament, including an upset over No. 6 Alexander Zverev in the round of 16. He advanced to Sunday's final when Rafael Nadal withdrew with an abdominal injury before their match on Saturday.

Djokovic improved to 4-0 against the Canadian. All four of those wins have come this season.