For a place in the last four – which would be a first for him in Masters 1000 – Humbert (18th player in the world) will face Australian Jordan Thompson (28th) on Friday evening.
With five representatives in the round of 16 for the farewell to Bercy before moving to La Défense Arena in Nanterre in 2025, French tennis equaled its 2009 record on Thursday at this stage of the tournament.
We wondered how many would manage to cross the next hurdle? Would there be three, to equal another record (2012)?
Humbert is currently the only one there. Only one other Frenchman can still hope to join him: Arthur Rinderknech (80th), opposed to world No.9 Grigor Dimitrov.
– “Everything is possible” –
Arthur Fils (20th), despite a set snatched from world No.3 Alexander Zverev, victorious 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, Adrian Mannarino (58th), beaten 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) by Thompson, and Arthur Cazaux (85th), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 by world No.13 Holger Rune, said goodbye to Bercy.
How far will Humbert go? “When I play like that, anything is possible, imagine the 18th player in the world. I don't know how far I'm going to go. We'll see. That's the question I don't want to answer.”
“I love playing the best players in the world, that’s why I train,” he continues.
The least we can say is that Humbert took full advantage of the opportunity given to him to challenge Alcaraz on Thursday evening.
During a quick first set, the French No.1 proved irresistible, to the point of leaving only one game to the world No.2. “I put winning shot after winning shot, everything came in, I was aggressive from the return,” Humbert marvels.
But even when pushed, “Carlitos” held on, to the point of rebalancing the debates before equalizing at one set all.
The level rose a notch on both sides of the net in the second half of the third set, when both players multiplied their spectacular shots and went blow for blow.
– “Even better than top 10” –
It was ultimately Humbert who had the last word, in the electric atmosphere of Bercy, which is hosting the Parisian tournament created in 1986 for a few more days.
The Paris tournament definitely did not work for the young Spaniard: he never got past the quarter-finals in four appearances.
Left the Center Court beaten just before Humbert entered it in his turn, Son, a newcomer in the top 20 at the end of his first full season in the big leagues, punctuated by two ATP 500 trophies, in Hamburg – won against Zverev – and Tokyo, nevertheless received compliments from its winner of the day.
“He undoubtedly has the game” to make a place in the top 10 within a year, believes Zverev.
“He has incredible power, like very few players have. Maybe (Jannik) Sinner, Alcaraz, me when I play well. Otherwise I don't see who else has such power. He's a question of development, of exploiting his potential I think he can even be better than top 10.
In the quarter-finals on Friday, Zverev will face world No.11 Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is still fighting for one of the last three tickets at stake for the end-of-year Masters, which brings together the eight best players of the season. Like world No.10 Alex De Minaur, opposed to Rune.
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