Local favorite Ugo Humbert thrilled the home crowd at the Paris Masters on Monday, securing a hard-fought victory over American Brandon Nakashima to advance to the second round.
The No. 15 seed Humbert faced a challenging match against Nakashima, ultimately prevailing 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Despite dropping the second set, Humbert demonstrated resilience by saving two break points in the decisive third set. This win extends his unbeaten record against Nakashima to 3-0.
Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Zhizhen and Shang Juncheng faced early exits after intense first-round matches.
Zhang Zhizhen was defeated by Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 7-6(6) in their second professional meeting. Zhang started strong, breaking Etcheverry’s serve and holding his own to lead 2-0 in the first set. However, Etcheverry responded with aggressive counterstrokes, taking six of the next seven games to claim the set.
The second set was closely contested, with both players holding their service games and pushing the set into a tiebreak. Zhang fought back from 6-4 down in the tiebreak to save two match points but ultimately fell short, marking his sixth consecutive singles loss.
In another hard-fought match, Shang Juncheng was edged out by American Marcos Giron in two tight tiebreaks, 7-6(6), 7-6(6). Both players, entering the tournament as qualifiers, battled fiercely in their first-ever meeting.
Neither player managed to break serve in the first set, leading to a tiebreak where Shang initially led 3-0 and 5-2. However, a series of unforced errors saw him lose his advantage and concede the set.
The second set mirrored the first’s intensity, with both players securing a break and tying at 3-3. Shang had an opportunity to break again but could not capitalize. Despite a valiant effort to level the tiebreak at 6-6, Shang’s mistakes in crucial moments allowed Giron to seal the victory.
The early exits of Zhang and Shang mark a disappointing start for Chinese players at the Paris Masters, while Humbert’s victory keeps the home nation’s hopes alive in the tournament.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
