The N.1 of French tennis Ugo Humbert, 18th player in the world, qualified on Saturday in Paris for his first Masters 1000 final thanks to his 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-3 victory against the Russian Karen Khachanov (21st).
First French finalist since 2016 in this category of tournaments, the most prestigious after the four Grand Slams, the 26-year-old left-hander from Metz will challenge the German Alexander Zverev (3rd) for the title in the last match at Bercy before the tournament moves to Nanterre in 2025.
Unbreathable from start to finish, the mano a mano of more than 2h30 between the two men changed in the seventh game of the last set, when Humbert managed to take the Russian’s serve to lead 4-3, service to follow.
A few moments earlier, Khachanov had called on a trainer to massage his right thigh then he showed himself to be significantly less mobile in the last two games, won easily by Humbert (6-3).
In the first set, Ugo Humbert, who was playing his first Masters 1000 semi-final on center court, managed to overcome two breaks behind to push Khachanov to the tie-break.
But as during the rest of the set, Humbert multiplied the unforced errors, wasting a three-point advantage (5-2) to finally lose the decisive game 8-6.
More aggressive and more precise in an equally tight second set, Humbert managed to steal Khachanov’s throw-in to lead 3-2. But the Russian did not give up, saving two set points before his opponent converted the third (6-4).
“I missed some opportunities in the first set, quite a few fairly easy attacking shots”commented Ugo Humbert after the meeting.
“But I said to myself ‘you’re going to have to fight until the end’ and that’s what I did so I’m proud of myself”welcomed the new darling of the Bercy public.
“I hope it’s going to be a cauldron tomorrow” for the final against Zverev, he added. “I will give everything to snatch victory”he said to a won over audience.
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