By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, February 10, 2024
Frenchman Ugo Humbert upset defending champion Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 to score his seventh straight indoor win and reach the Marseille final.
Photo credit: ©Corinne Dubreuil/Open 13
Put a roof over Ugo Humbert's head and watch his ceiling swell to impressive heights.
Lashing his lefty serve out wide with precision, Humbert dethroned defending champion Hubert Hurkacz 6-4, 6-4 to charge into the Marseille Open 13 Provence final with his seventh straight indoor hard-court victory.
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Facing arguably the game's premier server, Humbert put on a serving show of his own.
The fourth-seeded Frenchman served 77 percent, smacked seven aces against one double fault and denied all three break points he faced in a one hour, 22-minute performance that thrilled home fans.
Winless in three prior meetings vs. Hurkacz, including a four-set loss in last month's Australian Open, Humbert turned the tables today to reach his fifth ATP final.
World No. 21 Humbert will face second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov in tomorrow's final.
Dimitrov edged third-seeded Karen Khachanov 6-7(3), 6-4, 7-6(5) in today's second semifinal.
A fast start was key: Humbert broke to open and won eight of the first 10 points.
Serving for the first set at 5-4, the 25-year-old Frenchman faced his first break point of the match. Humbert saved it stringing together three points in a row to take a one-set lead.
"It was not easy because I lost already three times against him," Humbert said in his on-court interview afterward. "Yeah, my beginning was really strong.
"I had the break straight. I played an amazing match today. I’m very happy to be in the finals today."
The 2023 Metz champion withstood Hurkacz, who won 28 of 32 first-serve points and faced only two break points in the match, and his own jitters in the second set.
In the second set, Humbert elevated through eight straight points. He broke for 3-2 and rolled through a love hold to confirm the break for 4-2.
The 25-year-old Frenchman's moment of truth came at 4-3.
The champion tested Humbert in his longest service game of the day. Humbert repeatedly challenged Hurkacz's superior backhand return wing on pivotal points saving two break points in the game.
Streaming forward, Humbert carved a volley winner holding for 5-3.
"He’s the best [server] actually statistically, it’s not easy to play against him," Humbert said. "Sometimes you don’t play any return in a game so you have to say okay that’s it and you have to stay focused on your serve then.
"This [4-3] game was a key moment. I tried to push a little bit to play a little bit more aggressive because i was a little bit tight, but it’s normal."
Serving for the final, Humbert spun a crosscourt forehand off the line that left Hurkacz shaking his head in acknowledgment before issuing a futile challenge.
That strike gave the Frenchman double match point spiking a roar from Marseille fans.
Curling a clean crosscourt forehand winner, Humbert wrapped up a strong 6-4, 6-4 victory throwing a triumphant fist toward home fans.