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Paris Masters surprise: Ugo Humbert outplays Carlos Alcaraz in epic battle

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged he “wasn’t playing at the level” of France’s Ugo Humbert, ranked 18th, who delivered a stunning third-round upset at the Paris Masters.

Por: Alejandro Carrillo November 1, 2024

Ugo Humbert defeats Carlos Alcaraz / Photo via Rolex Paris Masters

Ugo Humbert secured a 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Carlos Alcaraz, marking his first win over the Spanish star after two losses earlier this year.

Alcaraz, who found himself trailing 0-5 in the opening set before finally getting on the scoreboard, reflected on the challenging match. “It was a high-intensity game, and I began with some hesitation about my form. Facing a player who seizes every chance to hit aggressively, it was hard to settle into the rhythm,” Alcaraz admitted. “Ugo was on another level today; his striking ability was impressive.”

Humbert, who has won titles in Marseille and Dubai in 2024, expressed pride in his performance, calling it a “wild match” and crediting the “electric atmosphere.” Moving on, he will face Jordan Thompson of Australia for a place in the semi-finals.

This season’s latter half has been a whirlwind for the 21-year-old Alcaraz. After his tough Olympics final loss to Novak Djokovic in Paris, he was eliminated in the US Open’s second round by Botic van de Zandschulp, ranked 74th. While he claimed victory against Jannik Sinner in the Beijing final, his Shanghai Masters run ended in a quarter-final loss to Tomas Machac, the world No. 33.

French triumph

Humbert narrowly surpassed Alcaraz with 28 winners to 23, while both committed 38 unforced errors during the match. Meanwhile, Thompson, ranked 28th, reached his first Masters quarter-final by defeating France’s Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).

Elsewhere, Australian Alex de Minaur’s bid to become his country’s first ATP Tour Finals contender since Lleyton Hewitt two decades ago took a positive turn. Ninth-seed De Minaur beat Britain’s Jack Draper 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, moving him into the eighth and final qualification slot for Turin’s end-of-season showdown.

“I’ll give it everything, and try to maintain high intensity since Jack is a fierce competitor,” said De Minaur, who now faces Denmark’s 13th-seed Holger Rune. Rune defeated France’s Arthur Cazaux 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, fighting to keep his slim ATP Finals hopes alive, powered through a three-set match against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo, winning 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2. “I felt like a bull starting that second set,” said 26-year-old Tsitsipas, who likely needs to reach the final in Paris to qualify for Turin.

Incredible match

His next opponent, world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, overcame France’s Arthur Fils 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Zverev, who fired 16 aces and fended off three break points, will be competing in his 31st Masters quarter-final as he takes on Tsitsipas, who leads their head-to-head 10-5.

Russia’s Karen Khachanov, the 2018 Paris champion, advanced past Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, setting up his next match against either Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria or France’s Arthur Rinderknech.

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Paris Masters surprise: Ugo Humbert outplays Carlos Alcaraz in epic battle

French triumph

Incredible match

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French triumph

Incredible match

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