Aurélien Canot, Media365, published on Friday April 12, 2024 at 9:14 p.m.
Despite a good reaction in the second set against Casper Ruud, Ugo Humbert, the last Frenchman in the running, lost in three sets on Friday (6-3, 4-6, 6-1) against the Norwegian, never as strong as on clay, in the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo. The second semi-final will therefore pit Ruud against Novak Djokovic.
Ugo Humbert should have known that. Even if Casper Ruud sometimes gives the impression of having become a viable player again, appearances should not be trusted. Because the Norwegian remains as strong and consistent as ever, even more so when the clay court season begins. His favorite surface almost systematically gives wings to the current world number 10. A pure earthling, Ruud is never as formidable as on the ocher surface, in Monte-Carlo or elsewhere. Humbert, beaten in three sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-1) in just over two hours of play (2h06) was unfortunately reminded of this on Friday during a match during which our last representative in The contender was never really able to foresee victory or hope for it as his opponent had such control in this quarter-final, the last of the day. On a Rainier-III court with suddenly deserted stands, the French number 1 could even have taken a correction. When he found himself trailing 6-3 and 2-0, that’s at least what many of the spectators who remained in the stands thought. However, at a time when we expected anything but this scenario, Humbert began to line up the games (four in a row) to pick up and send this Ruud who nevertheless seemed to be able to dispatch Messin in a third round . Not sure it was a good idea though.
Against Djokovic for the remake of the last Roland-Garros final
Forced to regain his splendor from the start of the match, the Norwegian did not take long to achieve it. And this time, if the games have marched again, it is to the advantage of the finalist of the last Roland-Garros, once again becoming the player so solid that he was up to 6-3, 2-0 while the 15th world, he started making a lot of mistakes again. This did not prevent him from obtaining opportunities to break the break but in vain, his tormentor of the day having dismissed in this last set the Frenchman’s five opportunities to reduce the gap when he achieved a “perfect” (two on two) in this area. Much too strong on Friday on this clay court that he loves so much and makes him an unplayable player at times, Ruud, who had already reached the last four on the Rock in 2021, has always experienced defeat on the surface in the quarters of the Masters 1000 final. A consistency which opened the doors to an eighth semi-final in a tournament of the category, but the first only since his defeat in Rome in 2023. It was obviously on clay. Novak Djokovic, who will meet his victim from last June at Porte d’Auteuil in a remake of the last Roland-Garros final, has been warned. As for Lucas Pouille, he can continue to sleep peacefully. He remains the last French semi-finalist in Monte-Carlo. It was in 2017…
2024-04-12 19:14:00
#adventure #Humbert
