Ugo Humbert secured arguably the biggest win of his career at the Paris Masters.
The Frenchman thrived on the backing of his home fans as he proceeded to defeat four-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz.
He claimed an epic 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 win in two hours and 16 minutes to book his spot in quarter-finals of the final Masters 1000 event of the year.
Humbert had lost twice to Alcaraz in 2024, but he made sure that third time’s the charm with a scintillating performance in the French capital.
What did Ugo Humbert’s coach Jeremy Chardy say to him before beating Carlos Alcaraz?
After Alcaraz levelled the match, it looked as though he would go on to win it, but Ugo Humbert would not be denied.
He rediscovered his shotmaking in time to outlast the World number two to reach the Paris Masters quarter-finals.
After the match, Humbert disclosed what his coach Jeremy Chardy said to him before taking on Alcaraz, which spurred him on to produce a spectacular performance.
“Jeremy said to me, Don’t do like in the Davis Cup. Don’t try to play to an excess, to overplay. So I started. I was very aggressive,” he told reporters about Chardy, who has been coaching him since July 2022.
“As for my return right from the second set, I started missing some points and he played better. I guess I had fought too much in the first one, and then I fought until the beginning of the third set. All through the third set I talked to myself.
“I was constantly talking to myself to tell myself that I was there, that I wouldn’t let go until the end, and it worked. I felt better, and that’s the way I felt it, and it was the right solution.”
Who does Ugo Humbert play next?
In an unexpected quarter-final at the Paris Masters, Humbert will take on Jordan Thompson.
The Australian took out Casper Ruud in the second round before defeating home favourite Adrian Mannarino to reach the last eight.
Thompson won their only previous encounter at the Cincinnati Open in August, and the Humbert knows it will be a tough challenge.
“It will not be easy against Jordan,” said Humbert, who is the first Frenchman to secure a top three win at Paris-Bercy since 2010.
“It was a close match back in the summer but I’m looking forward to this next one. I don’t want to stop at the quarter-finals.”
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