He had to work hard, but Ugo Humbert ended up coming out on top against the eye-catching Hugo Gaston (2-6, 6-1, 6-3), Wednesday in the second round of the Open 13, in Marseille . The world number 21 trailed 3-1 in the third set before scoring the last five games of the match.
The 25-year-old Messin, who entered the fray as the No. 4 seed, on the contrary took time to find his rhythm. Two backhand faults, a badly misjudged shot in the first set, cost him a break in the first game of the match. Another backhand error offered the double break to the 86th in the world who concluded the first set a few minutes later.
With his back to the wall, Humbert accelerates
The balance of power was reversed at the start of the second set. With his left-handed forehand, Humbert took control of the exchanges and stole Gaston’s engagement for the first time in the game. Hampered by blisters under both feet, the 23-year-old Toulouse found himself trailing 5-0 in barely 25 minutes.
Everything was decided in the decisive round. Gaston struck first. At 2-1 in his favor, Younes El Aynaoui’s player managed the break after a rally of 23 shots which he completely overturned thanks to his defensive qualities. Humbert then significantly increased his aggressiveness. His flat attacks, often followed at the net, allowed him to immediately break and then move in front thanks to a white break.
A final forehand acceleration followed at the net offered victory to Humbert who will face, Friday in the quarter-finals, the winner of the match which will pit the Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina against the Finn Emil Ruusuvuori on Thursday.
