ANALYSE – Semi-finalist in a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career at 26, the French number one is maturing, at the right time.
There's no stopping Ugo Humbert. 24 hours after knocking out Carlos Alcaraz, the tournament favorite, Messin dominated the Australian Jordan Thompson, surprise guest of the quarter-finals. A clear and almost flawless victory 6-2, 7-6. Humbert qualifies for the first time in the last four of a Masters 1000 where he will meet Karen Khachanov on Saturday.
He had failed at this stage of the competition three times before. Already winner of two ATP 500s and six titles on the big circuit, the elderly French leader, currently 18th in the world, is having his most complete season at 26 years old. It remains to shine in the big events. And particularly in the Grand Slams, where he has never done better than 8th finalist (2019, 2024).
His exploit against Carlos Alcaraz (6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory), Thursday evening in a red-hot Accor Arena, could make him change dimension. “He had been looking for a big result in a big tournament for a long time, slips his coach Jérémy Chardy. The victory against Alcaraz gave him a lot of confidence. He has two matches to still dream about. He has progressed in all areas. It was the year he won the most matches (38). He knows what he has to do on the court.»
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In the footsteps of Tsonga?
Confident of his strengths on a fast surface that he likes, the Lorraine is at ease against the best. He is now at 5 wins for 5 losses against members of the top 5 in the world. He had already defeated Daniil Medvedev, then world number 2, at the start of 2022. If he maintains his level of play displayed against Alcaraz, Messin could dream of succeeding Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, last Frenchman crowned at Bercy in 2008.
The world number 18, one of the most popular French players on the circuit, transformed into a fierce warrior against the world number 2. And this week the smiling and outgoing Messin also showed character behind the scenes. Stung at having been relegated to court 1 during his 2nd round against qualifier Marcos Giron (6-3, 6-3), he confided his annoyance. “I was obviously disappointed with the programming, and a little surprised. I'm a nice person. So, sometimes, it’s used a little against me.”
A leader better surrounded also with the emergence in particular of the hopefuls Arthur Fils and Giovanni Mpetschi Perricard: “ There's a good stuffing! It's great to have Arthur (Fils) which is there, both for me and French tennis. We pull ourselves up. I missed it when I arrived and I was 25th and a little alone (in 2021). »
