US Open – Men’s singles – 1st round: Ugo Humbert eliminated from the start in 5 sets by Peter Gojowczyk

Ugo Humbert still does not succeed in Grand Slam. While he also obtains good or even very good results, the French number 2 still skates as much as soon as he sets foot in a major table. For the third time in a row after Roland Garros and the US Open, he disappears in the first round. By having inherited a qualified, in this case the German Peter Gojowczyk, he had nevertheless benefited from a favorable draw, but the Messin, far from the account in the engagement and borrowed physically, ended up giving in five sets.

Everything had started well with a first set flown over by Ugo Humbert (6-1). But after this ideal start, the Frenchman disappeared from his match, while opposite, Gojowczyk, on the momentum of his three victories in qualifying, made his own: without genius, but solid, especially in service. For two and a half sets, Humbert only scored four games and when he found himself behind 3-1 in the fourth set, double break against him, after having let slip the two previous sets 6-1 , 6-2, the cleaver seemed to inevitably fall on the seed number 23.

Humbert too slow and without intensity

We then believed that with the complicity of his opponent, suddenly a little more tense, the winner of the last tournament in Halle would turn this match. Ugo Humbert saved these two double break points, then he broke before taking Gojowczyk’s service once again to pick up two innings everywhere. For a bit, it was not far from constituting a small miracle. Unfortunately for him, Humbert suffered another hole in the form of a catastrophic 2-2 serve play in the final act. Despite three new breakouts at 4-3, he was not going to recover.

If, in the attitude, the Frenchman never gave the impression of giving up, encouraging himself until the end of the game, he appeared rather little in legs. Slow in his movements, often without intensity, he was simply not in the game. And in Grand Slam, it does not forgive. Even against a qualifier. The level is too dense and his room for maneuver is still too small against this type of player so that he does not find himself in danger in such circumstances when he displays the face that was his on Monday on the short number. 9.

After the elimination of Benoît Paire a few minutes earlier, the exit of Ugo Humbert is a new blow for French tennis, which is already on two catastrophic Grand Slam tournaments at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. On a more personal level, Humbert will have to find solutions to become on the biggest stages the player he knows to be on less prestigious occasions.