Paris Masters 1000: last Frenchman in the running, Humbert falls in turn

The Frenchman Ugo Humbert (26th player in the world), the last Frenchman still competing at the Masters 1000 in Paris, was eliminated in the second round by the German Alexander Zverev (9th) 6-4, 6-7 (7/3), 7 -6 (7-5) after a crazy match and 3 hours 29 minutes of play.

A historically low record for French tennis

French tennis has a historically low record in the Parisian arena, with only one representative in the 2nd round for the first time and none in the 8th for only the second time since 1990. Humbert’s defeat therefore adds to the failures of Arthur’s hopes Son and Luca Van Assche, Adrian Mannarino, Richard Gasquet despite three match points, Benjamin Bonzi, Alexandre Muller and Gaël Monfils, who got a match point.

The Frenchman started well, however, throwing well thanks to a very good first ball, against an opponent who alternated between good and bad until the middle of the round. He even got himself nine break points in the first set on four different service games, but, unable to find the fault, he left the German, a little more realistic (one break point converted out of six) , winning the first set 6-4 in 66 minutes.

At the start of the second set, the appearance of the match seemed identical, the Frenchman still not managing to seize his opponent’s throw-in on two new opportunities, and letting Zverev take it at 2-2 on a game poorly managed service. But something clicked at 5-4 when Zverev, who until then seemed much more serene in the second set, was serving for the match and was very close to sending Humbert back to the locker room.

An unbreathable third set

It is this precise moment, carried by an electric atmosphere, that the Frenchman chose to convert the first of his twelve break points to come back level with his opponent and push him to the tie-break.

Much more serene thanks to a first ball found and a good length, he won a controlled decisive game 7-6 (7/3) to offer himself an unexpected third set. And we believed for a long time that the rest of the match belonged to those crazy evenings of which Bercy has the secret, in front of an unbreathable third round and in which Humbert first took the lead by offering himself the service of the German at 2 -2. Everyone also held their breath in the face of the world No.9’s break at 4-3, obtained after five opportunities, while the two players appeared on the edge physically after so much effort.

In a new tie-break, it was the Frenchman, with a black look and an angry point, who first took the best until 5-2. But the German, thanks to well-thought-out returns and a heavy serve, won 7-6 (7/5) and deprived the 15,000 spectators of a long collective and tricolor joy. “What makes me saddest is not being able to give victory to all those who supported me. They pushed me to the end and that’s the regret I have,” said declared the Frenchman at a press conference.

The season remains promising for Humbert

The season remains promising for the Lorraine, assured of becoming N.1 French again next week, and who will compete in the Metz tournament next week, hoping to continue the good momentum started in the fall (quarter-final in Beijing and at the Masters 1000 Shanghai, then semi-final in Basel last week). “It came down to next to nothing, I believe in the process, I must continue what I do well, continue in the same state of mind, I am sure that this will smile on me one day or another” , he said.

The German, recently sentenced by the Berlin district court to a fine of 450,000 euros for domestic violence, will meet in the round of 16 the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (6th), winner earlier in the day of the Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime (19th) in two rounds.