In four appearances at the Masters 1000 in Paris, Carlos Alcaraz has never made it past the quarter-final stage.
Imago
Sensational Ugo Humbert: for the very last edition of the Masters 1000 from Paris to Bercy, the French No. 1 brought down world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday in the round of 16. Author of a dream first set, completed in 26 minutes, Humbert finally won 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in a little over two and a quarter hours. “It’s the greatest victory of my career and it’s the best moment I’ve experienced on a Tennis court,” 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 (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 the move 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 clear the next hurdle: would there be three of them, 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.
Arthur Fils (20th), despite a set snatched from world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, victorious 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, Adrian Mannarino (58th), beaten 5-7, 6-7 (5/7) by Thompson, and Arthur Cazaux (85th) by world No. 13 Holger Rune (6-3, 3-6, 4-6), said goodbye to Bercy.
Spectacular shots
How far will Humbert go? “When I play like that, everything 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.
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.
Having left the Center Court beaten just before Humbert entered it in his turn, Fils – a newcomer in the top 20 after his first full season in the big leagues, punctuated by two trophies in the ATP 500, in Hamburg and Tokyo – nevertheless received compliments from his winner of the day.
“He undoubtedly has the game to make a place in the top 10 within a year,” said 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. 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, still in the fight 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, he opposed Rune.
(afp)
