Emmanuel LANGELLIER, Media365: published on Sunday November 3, 2024 at 10:35 a.m.
Karen Khachanov, eliminated Saturday in the semi-final of the Rolex Paris Masters by Ugo Humbert in 3 sets, did not like the Frenchman's behavior at the end of the match while the Russian was injured.
After Guy Forget, Sébastien Grosjean and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Ugo Humbert will try to become the 4th French player to register his name on the Rolex Paris Masters list in the Accor Arena. In the old “Paris-Bercy”, Messin will face Alexander Zverev, winner of Holger Rune in two sets, Sunday afternoon (from 3:00 p.m.). Humbert had more difficulty getting out of the clutches of Karen Khachanov. Magnificent winner from Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday evening, the 18th player in the world was not extremely transcendent but he did what was necessary to eliminate the Russian after 2h44 of struggle (6-7, 6-4, 6-3). He also benefited from the injury of the 21st in the ATP ranking, hit in the right thigh while leading 3-2 in the last round. The Russian then took a medical timeout to receive treatment and then… he no longer scored a single game.
Khachanov: “This is no way to behave”
Qualified for his first Masters 1000 final, Ugo Humbert enjoyed himself in front of the Parisian public and displayed demonstrative joy at the end of the semi-final, as after each point won against his injured opponent who finished the match on one leg. An ostentatious behavior that Khachanov had very little taste for and which he explained to the Frenchman during the final handshake. “At the net, I have to stay a little calm and show respect. This is no way to behave. I'm always fair play, I'll praise him if he behaves like a normal person. That’s all I can say,” said the Russian player after his bitter defeat in the mixed zone.
The winner of the 2018 edition then continued on what bothered him on the part of the 26-year-old Frenchman. “He can do whatever he wants with the public, I have no problem with that, but did you see me celebrating yesterday (Friday)? Grigor (Dimitrov, whom he beat 6-2, 6-3 in the quarters) was exhausted. He wasn't hurt, he told me that at the end. Have you seen me jump and shout, “Come on,” at every point? Do you think it's good? You can celebrate after the match with the crowd, no problem. You can do whatever you want. Injuries are part of the game. But doing that when the other person is down… OK, we'll see next time. » Ugo Humbert did not react to the comments made by the 28-year-old Russian player.
