Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata produced the biggest win of his career on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, coming from a set down to beat Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the second round.

The 25-year-old, ranked No. 83 and having come through qualifying, broke Djokovic in the eighth game of the second set before serving it out, then broke the Serb twice in succession in the decider. His 29th forehand winner closed the match.

The defeat ended Djokovic's hopes of a record-extending eighth Paris title and knocked him out of the ATP Finals race.

Hijikata was born in Sydney on 23 February 2001 and is currently ranked No. 83, with a career-high of No. 62 set in August 2024. He won the 2023 Australian Open doubles title alongside Jason Kubler and reached the fourth round of the 2023 US Open, his best Grand Slam singles result.

This season he has been strong as a qualifier, reaching the fourth round at Indian Wells and the Queen's Club quarterfinals. In Paris he beat Luciano Darderi in the first round after qualifying.

The result carries heavy history. Livemint reports it was Hijikata's first win over Djokovic in three head-to-head meetings, his fourth career win over a top-20 player — all coming in 2026 — and made him the lowest-ranked player to beat the Serb this year.

The same outlet says he joined Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios and Lleyton Hewitt as only the fourth Australian to conquer Djokovic. For the 39-year-old, the loss effectively ended his season, with the veteran telling reporters his plans were "just rest."

The defeat closed Djokovic's path to the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, which run Nov. 15-22.

According to Livemint, he needed a run to the semifinals in Paris to stay alive, and the loss means he has failed to qualify for only the second time in the past 20 seasons when fit — the last miss coming in 2017 because of an elbow injury.

Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul remain in contention for the final two spots. There was a French bright spot: Quentin Halys's win over Frances Tiafoe assured Arthur Fils of his Finals debut.

Hijikata kept rolling. On Thursday he beat Tomas Martin Etcheverry 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to reach the Paris Masters quarterfinals, completing a run from qualifying all the way to the last eight.

The broader Paris scene remained an upset bonanza: world No. 1 Alexander Zverev fell to Lorenzo Musetti 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 in his opening match, Daniil Medvedev lost in straight sets to Peru's Ignacio Buse, and second seed Carlos Alcaraz avoided the chaos by beating Alex Michelsen 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 to reach the last 16, where he faces Matteo Berrettini.