Sensational Ugo Humbert: for the very last edition of the Masters 1000 from Paris to Bercy, the French No. 1 knocked out world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the round of 16 on Thursday. He is the last Blue still in the running.
Author of a dream first set, completed in 26 minutes, Humbert (18th) finally won 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in a little over two and a quarter hours.
“It’s the best victory of my career and it’s the best moment I’ve had on a tennis court. It was incredible,” sums up the 26-year-old left-hander.
For a place in the last four – which would be a first for him in Masters 1000 – Humbert will face the 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 next year, French tennis equaled its 2009 record on Thursday at this stage of the Paris tournament.
We wondered how many would cross the next hurdle. Could there be three of them, to equal another record (2012)? In the end there will only be Humbert.
Because at past midnight, Arthur Rinderknech (80th) came within two points of joining him before giving in on the wire (6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) against world No.9 Grigor Dimitrov.
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, also said goodbye to Bercy.
“Everything is possible”
How far will Humbert go? “When I play like that, anything is possible,” he imagines. I don’t know how far I’m going to go. I don’t want to make any predictions. This is the question I don’t want to answer. »
“I love playing the best players in the world, that’s why I train,” he continues. In these conditions, at Bercy, my favorite tournament, these are matches that I love to play. I came to Bercy to experience these kinds of emotions. »
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. “Everything was coming in, I was putting winning shot after winning shot, I was ultra aggressive from the return,” Humbert marvels.
But even when pushed, “Carlitos” held on, to the point of rebalancing the debates to equalize at one round 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.
It was ultimately Humbert – who “talked” to himself “the entire third set” – who had the last word, in the electric atmosphere of Bercy.
“Even better than top-10”
The Parisian tournament definitely did not succeed for the young Spaniard, already a four-time Grand Slam winner: he has never made it past the quarter-finals in four appearances.
Having left the central court beaten just before Humbert entered it in his turn, Fils, 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 his winner of the day after his first round of 16 in the Masters 1000.
“He undoubtedly has the game” to find 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, compare the world No. 3. It’s a question of development, of exploiting one’s 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 Dimitrov and world No. 10 Alex De Minaur, opposed respectively to Karen Khachanov (21st) and Rune.
