David Ferrer is one win away from an improbable Paris title defense. Standing in Ferrer’s way on Sunday is Novak Djokovic.

There’s something about Paris for David Ferrer.

He captured his first-ever Masters 1000 title at this same indoor hard-court event last fall and earlier this season he reached his first Grand Slam final at the French Open. Now, Ferrer–against considerable odds–is back in the final of the BNP Paribas Masters.

The Spaniard’s latest run is surprising, to say the least–and not just because he is supposed to be at his best on clay. After stellar showings at the French Open and Wimbledon (he made it to the semis at the All-England Club), Ferrer slumped throughout most of the summer and even though he posted recent runner-up results in Stockholm and Valencia, he was favored to win those titles.

Suddenly, the 31-year-old is once again on top of his game…