World number two Carlos Alcaraz admitted he “was not up to the level” of 18th-ranked Ugo Humbert of France who swept to a shock Paris Masters third round victory over the Spanish superstar on Thursday.
Left-handed Humbert came through 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to register his first win over the French Open and Wimbledon champion having lost twice to Alcaraz earlier in 2024.
It was a testing evening for Alcaraz who was 0-5 down in the first set before he managed to get on the board.
“It was a very intense match. I started with some doubts about my game. Against a player who attacks whenever he can, who hits very aggressively at the slightest opportunity, it wasn’t easy to get into the match,” admitted Alcaraz.
“I was not up to the level he displayed. Ugo’s performance was really high. The way he hits the ball is incredible.”
Humbert, who has two titles from Marseille and Dubai in 2024, said he was “super proud of myself”.
“It was a crazy match, a crazy atmosphere.”
The 21-year-old Alcaraz has endured a rollercoaster second half of the season since his heartbreaking Paris Olympics final loss to Novak Djokovic.
He was knocked out in the second round of the US Open by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp, defeated top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the Beijing final before a quarter-final exit at the hands of Tomas Machac, the world number 33, at the Shanghai Masters.
Humbert goes on to face Australia’s Jordan Thompson for a place in the Paris Masters semi-finals.
The French number one just edged Alcaraz in winners on Thursday with 28 to 23 while both men committed 38 unforced errors.
Thompson, ranked at 28, made the quarter-finals of a Masters for the first time by beating Adrian Mannarino of France 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).
Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur’s bid to become the first Australian to make the ATP Tour Finals since Lleyton Hewitt 20 years ago, was boosted when the ninth seed defeated in-form Jack Draper of Britain 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
The win moved De Minaur into the eighth and final qualifying spot for the Turin end-of-season showpiece.
“I’m going to put my body on the line, try my hardest, show my opponent that I can do that all day. I needed to bring that intensity because Jack is a hell of a competitor, playing with so much confidence right now,” said De Minaur.
He next faces 13th seeded Holger Rune of Denmark who ended the run of French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said he felt like a “bull” as he kept alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals, battling back from a set down to beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2.
“Starting the second set, I felt like a bull,” said 26-year-old Tsitsipas who likely needs a run to the Paris final to stay in contention for Turin.
The 11th-ranked Greek will next face world number three Alexander Zverev, who defeated France’s Arthur Fils 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, for a place in the semi-finals.
Zverev fired 16 aces and saved three break points when serving for the clash at 5-3 in the decider.
The German star will be playing in his 31st Masters quarter-final when he tackles Tsitsipas who has won 10 of the pair’s 15 meetings.
Russia’s Karen Khachanov, the 2018 champion in Paris, moved past Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 and next faces either Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov or Arthur Rinderknech of France.
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