In a thrilling third-round match at the Paris Masters on Thursday, French favorite Ugo Humbert pulled off a stunning upset against world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain. Humbert secured a hard-fought victory with a scoreline of 6-1, 3-6, 7-5, delighting the home crowd at the Accor Arena.
The 18th-ranked Humbert dominated the first set, wrapping it up in just 26 minutes as Alcaraz struggled to find his rhythm. However, the Spanish sensation and reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion fought back in the second set, taking a commanding 5-2 lead before closing it out with a hold to love.
The decisive third set saw both players exchanging powerful shots and gripping rallies. Buoyed by the passionate support of the French fans, Humbert managed to break Alcaraz’s serve late in the set to clinch the match. With this victory, Humbert becomes the first Frenchman to defeat a top-five player at the Paris Masters since 2019, when his coach Jérémy Chardy overcame Daniil Medvedev.
Earlier in the day, third seed Alexander Zverev of Germany overcame a second-set slump to defeat Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Australian No. 9 seed Alex de Minaur also advanced to the quarterfinals after rallying from a set down to beat Britain’s Jack Draper 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
De Minaur’s compatriot Jordan Thompson continued Australia’s strong showing by edging out Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 7-6(5). However, fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin was unable to join them in the last eight, falling to Russia’s Karen Khachanov 7-6(5), 6-4.
In another exciting match, Danish 13th seed Holger Rune battled back from a set down to defeat French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Cazaux had entered the main draw as a replacement for world No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy, who withdrew due to a virus.
Reference(s):
Home favorite Humbert upsets No. 2 seed Alcaraz at Paris Masters
cgtn.com
