Ugo Humbert, ‘The Commander’, claimed the biggest win of his career on Thursday at the Paris Masters, defeating second seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in front of a raucous French crowd to move to the quarter-finals of the year’s last Masters 1000 event.
The Frenchman – who recently made the final of UTS Frankfurt – played sublime tennis against Roland-Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, hitting his trademark hard, flat shots to take time away from the Spaniard.
“It’s the most beautiful victory in my career, and it’s the best moment I lived on a tennis court,” Humbert declared after the match.
“I came to Bercy to live this kind of emotion, this kind of match. When it’s like that, anything is possible. It’s incredible. I train for that. I practise for that. I love playing against the best players in the world. This is why I’m training and practising, and the Paris Masters Bercy is one of my favourite matches.”
Viewers of the match would have been forgiven for thinking it was a UTS tournament, with the vocal French crowd calling out during points at times and letting the players know who they wanted to win.
“The public really was incredible and supported me,” Humbert continued. “I was happy to give them this victory, because it was an important moment for me, and it was great to share it with them.”
Sweet success after last year’s heartbreak
After the match, Humbert confessed that his heartbreaking loss at the Paris Masters last year – a three-hour, 30-minute epic against Alexander Zverev – was very much on his mind as he upset one of the best players in the world.
“I didn’t want what happened last year to repeat itself. I also thought about the match against Zverev, and it made me stronger. This is what I repeated to myself in the third set.
“All through the third set I talked to myself. I was constantly talking to myself to tell myself that I was there, that I wouldn’t let go until the end, and it worked. I felt better, and that’s the way I felt it, and it was the right solution.”
Humbert now has an excellent opportunity to make his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, with world No 28 Jordan Thompson waiting in the last eight.
