At 26 years old, France’s number one tennis player becomes the first Frenchman to reach the semi-finals of a Masters 1000 event – the most prestigious tournaments after the four Grand Slams – since Richard Gasquet in 2019 at Cincinnati. In Bercy, this achievement had not been seen since Julien Benneteau’s semi-final run in 2017.
Prior to his victory over Thompson (28) with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (4), Humbert had previously lost to him in their only previous meeting. The left-handed player from Metz had fallen short three times in the quarter-finals of Masters 1000 events: in Paris in 2020, Shanghai in 2023, and Monte-Carlo in 2024.
On Friday, on the central court of Bercy, Humbert dominated the first set, breaking his opponent’s serve with his very first break point to lead 3-1, then 4-1. The French number one struck the decisive blow in the eighth game, converting his second set point once again on Thompson’s serve (6-2).
The second set was much more contentious, with the Australian consistently putting Humbert under pressure on his serve. After being saved by an array of aces and winning serves at the start of the set, Humbert ultimately lost his serve at 5-5, while also feeling pain in his right foot.
After receiving treatment for a few minutes off-court, Humbert returned to the match with renewed vigor, breaking Thompson immediately, to the delight of spectators fervently chanting “Ugo!”
In a thrilling tie-break, it was ultimately Humbert who prevailed 7-4. “I really play with my heart, and that made the difference today,” Humbert commented right after the match.
Swiss
Related News :