Home hope Humbert upsets Alcaraz to reach Paris QFs

An inspired Ugo Humbert rode a raucous atmosphere and inspired shotmaking to a stunning third-round upset of Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The home favourite prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in a richly entertaining encounter to book a quarter-final spot at his home ATP Masters 1000. Humbert won the first five games of the match in a blistering start on Court Central, before his resolve was tested as Alcaraz grew into the occasion. Yet the Spaniard could not deny Humbert at the tail end of a tense deciding set, when the home favourite rediscovered his shotmaking touch in time to clinch his win.

“I’m just super proud of myself that I did it,” said Humbert. “It was a crazy match, a crazy atmosphere. Maybe my last in Bercy [before the tournament moves to a new venue from next year], so I tried to do everything tonight. It was a really big match.”

ALL HEART FROM UGO HUMBERT!!! ❤️??#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/lrE4ZOofmx

Humbert’s two-hour, 17-minute win was the joint-biggest of his career by PIF ATP Ranking, equalling his victory against then-No. 2 Daniil Medvedev at the 2022 ATP Cup. The lefty, who is chasing his third ATP Tour title of the season this week after his victories in Marseille and Dubai, is the first Frenchman to earn a Top 3 win at Paris-Bercy since 2010, when Gael Monfils defeated No. 2 Roger Federer and Michael Llodra ousted No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

“I went for every shot," said Humbert, when asked about his first-set performance in what he later described as the biggest win of his career. "That’s why I think I had less energy in the second set and in the third it was a mountain that was with me from the beginning of the third set to the end. I trusted myself in big moments and I made some big shots.”

Humbert had left Alcaraz and perhaps even his home fans stunned after a high-quality opening 26 minutes in which he dominated the second seed to race to the first set. The No. 18 in the PIF ATP Rankings struck the ball cleanly off both wings, and his constant aggressive hitting did not afford Alcaraz the time on his groundstrokes that the Spaniard so often exploits.

Alcaraz found a way to up the pressure on Humbert in the second set, however, particularly whenever the Frenchman became passive in rallies. The five-time Masters 1000 titlist clinched the second set after earning its only break in the sixth game. Both players then produced some crowd-pleasing winners throughout the deciding set, but it was Humbert who responded to an ecstatic night-session crowd by snatching victory with a decisive break in the 12th game.

The Frenchman finished the match having outhit Alcaraz by 25 winners to 23. He converted three of six break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final. It was Humbert's first victory against the Spaniard in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two.

Awaiting Humbert in the quarter-finals will be Jordan Thompson. The Australian earlier downed Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 7-6(5) to reach the last eight at a Masters 1000 for the first time.

Following his Paris exit, Alcaraz will next be in action in Turin, where the Spaniard will bid for his maiden title at the Nitto ATP Finals. The prestigious season finale takes place from 10-17 November at the city’s Inalpi Arena.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]