His feat against world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz did not go unanswered: Ugo Humbert was invited to the final four of the Masters 1000 in Paris on Friday for his final edition at Bercy, a first for the French No.1 in a tournament of such caliber.
Twenty-four hours after defeating Alcaraz 6-1, 3-6, 7-5, Humbert (18th) confirmed by dominating the Australian Jordan Thompson (28th) 6-2, 7-6 (7/4), in a match where he was conversely the favorite.
At 26 years old, here is the left-hander with the backwards cap in the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 for the first time in his career.
Bercy, where the Parisian tournament, after almost four decades, is experiencing its last moments before moving to the Défense Arena in Nanterre in 2025, had not had such a celebration for seven years.
“I train every day for this kind of emotion. I feel so good with you,” Humbert told the Parisian public.
The latest French semi-finalist to date? Julien Benneteau, in 2017. He was stopped by the surprise Jack Sock.
In Masters 1000, the most prestigious tournament category after the four Grand Slams, blue-white-red tennis had not had a representative for more than five years. It was then Richard Gasquet, in Cincinnati (United States).
– Facing Dimitrov or Khachanov? –
In the stands, Yannick Noah, totem of French sport, and Robert Pirès, 1998 world champion, did not miss the event.
For a place in the final, Humbert will face either world No.9 Grigor Dimitrov, finalist in Paris a year ago, or Russian Karen Khachanov (21st), who won the title at Bercy in 2018.
Dimitrov-Khachanov, the last quarter-final of the day, is a face-to-face between the two players who have won the most indoor matches in 2024: 13 each.
Alcaraz was slapped 6-1 in 26 minutes in the first set Thursday night. Humbert barely slowed down on this holiday Friday: Thompson conceded a scathing 6-2 in 29 minutes.
It was on the verge of a perfect scenario, when the French N.1 obtained two match points on the serve of the thirty-year-old Australian after only 70 minutes of play, at 5 games to 4 in the second set, that everything suddenly changed. complicated.
It really took a bit of drama to remember it better. Two backhand returns into the net on his chances to finish. A break given to Thompson. A right foot that begins to grind. And Bercy, suddenly, holding his breath.
Before, finally, exulting not far from half an hour later, when Humbert finally escaped in the decisive game. A few points earlier, the tie-break went his way when he pushed Thompson to make a mistake, after forcing him into a series of smashes.
– “Transformed” –
“In the end, I transformed myself to snatch victory,” smiles the student of Jérémy Chardy.
It is ultimately no surprise that it was indoors, in fast playing conditions that suited his hyper-aggressive game and his flat shots, that he reached his first semi-final in the Masters 1000.
The proof? Half of the six titles on his record were obtained indoors: in Antwerp in 2020, in Metz in 2023, and in Marseille at the start of the year.
Humbert is even on a series of twelve matches won in a row indoors in France, from Metz a year ago to Bercy today, via Marseille.
What if we dreamed of a coronation, sixteen years after the last triumph of a Frenchman in Paris, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008?
“When I play like that, anything is possible,” he dared the day before after his performance against Alcaraz. “I don’t want to make any predictions.”
Two days ago, the smiling Humbert did not hide the fact that being relegated to the small and outdated N.1 court for his second round, in the bowels of Bercy, had upset him.
Tombeur d'Alcaraz, now a semi-finalist in Masters 1000, here he is propelled into the spotlight.
Saturday afternoon, the first semi-final will pit world No.3 Alexander Zverev against world No.13 Holger Rune. The first mastered the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 6-4 (11th), the second the Australian Alex De Minaur (10th) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
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