Ugo Humbert Defeats Khachanov to Reach Paris Masters Final

Ugo Humbert staged a comeback to secure a spot in the final of the Paris Masters against Germany’s Alexander Zverev. Both players reached the final by defeating former champions on Saturday with Zverev currently ranked third in the world, previously finishing as the runner-up at the French Open to Carlos Alcaraz in June. Humbert, the top French player faced off against Karen Khachanov and emerged victorious with a score of 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-3.

Meanwhile, Zverev delivered an impressive performance against world number 13 Holger Rune, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). In his match, Humbert initially struggled, dropping his serve twice in the first set but he managed to break back each time. Despite his efforts, Khachanov clinched the first set in a tie-break. In the second set, Humbert found his rhythm and improved his first serve.

He dominated with powerful groundstrokes, hitting 13 winners to level the match. Ugo Humbert maintained his aggressive play into the deciding set, breaking Khachanov’s serve twice to secure the win. Earlier in the day, Zverev capitalized on his baseline pressure to take an early 3-1 lead against Rune. Although he faced challenges, he managed to hold serve with powerful shots.

The 27-year-old, who was the runner-up at Roland Garros closed out the first set with 11 winners, demonstrating his control. The second set was more competitive as Rune upped his aggression, occasionally serving and volleying. However, Zverev quickly took charge in the tie-break, racing to a 3-0 lead and maintaining his composure to achieve a career-high 65th win of the season at the packed Palais Omnisports in Bercy.