Four men are left in Paris, and much to the delight of the Bercy crowd, Ugo Humbert is one of them.
He extended his French indoor winning streak to twelve matches, having won Metz at the end of last season and Marseille earlier this year.
The 15th seed is joined by Sascha Zverev, who comfortably saw off Stefanos Tsitsipas, and former champions Holger Rune (2022), who came through a tough battle with Alex de Minaur and Karen Khachanov (2018), who made light work of Grigor Dimitrov in the last match of the day.
Match stats and highlights of all four quarter-finals are below.
Rolex Paris Masters 2024 Quarter Final Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Holger Rune (13) | Alex de Minaur (9) | 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 |
| Alexander Zverev (3) | Stefanos Tstisipas (10) | 7-5 6-4 |
| Karen Khachanov | Grigor Dimitrov (8) | 6-2 6-3 |
| Ugo Humbert (15) | Jordan Thompson | 6-2 7-6(4) |
Zverev Ends Tstisipas’s Turin Hopes
Sascha Zverev put any aspirations that Tsitsipas had of making the ATP finals in the opening match on Friday, producing a confident 7-5, 6-4 win that means the Greek misses out on the season-ender for the first time since 2019. He ends the year outside the top 10 for the first time since 2018 in a disappointing season.
Once again, Zverev produced a brilliant serving display, winning 79% and 72% behind his first and second serves. Given how he’s served this year, you’d have to say he’s a bit unlucky to have the 0 in the Grand Slam titles column. Can he do it next year? Yes but he’ll need to play more aggressively if he’s going to get it done against stronger opposition.
I thought the whole match was a very good level from him. He started off hot, had some good chances to break me in the beginning. Maybe not break point wise but game wise. I got into the match, and I found my rhythm and felt more and more comfortable, and I am happy with the win. Zverev on his win.
Match Stats
| Â | Alexander Zverev | Stefanos Tsitsipas |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 9 | 3 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 2 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 70% | 49% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 79% (34/43) | 71% (24/34) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 72% (13/18) | 61% (22/36) |
| Break Points Saved | 100% (1/1) | 71% (5/7) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 29% (10/34) | 21% (9/43) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 39% (14/36) | 28% (5/18) |
| Break Points Converted | 29% (2/7) | 0% (0/1) |
| Winners | 21 | 18 |
| Unforced Errors | 21 | 28 |
| Net Points Won | 50% (8/16) | 77% (10/13) |
| Service Points Won | 77% (47/61) | 66% (46/70) |
| Return Points Won | 34% (24/70) | 23% (14/61) |
| Total Points Won | 54% (71/131) | 46% (60/131) |
| Service Games Won | 100% (11/11) | 82% (9/11) |
| Return Games Won | 18% (2/11) | 0% (0/11) |
| Total Games Won | 59% (13/22) | 41% (9/22) |
Highlights
Rune Continues Paris Love Affair
Holger Rune now has a 12-1 record in Bercy, making it by far his best tournament. So, I doubt he’s happy with the event moving to La Défense Arena in Nanterre from next year!
The Dane also has slim hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals, and he came through a tightly contested match with Alex de Minaur 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
De Minaur is an out-and-out road runner who applies constant pressure, but I thought Rune returned slightly better. With the Aussie not landing enough first serves, he was able to pick off some important points to get the job done in 2 hours and 28 minutes.
He was putting so much up against me. He was making every ball with quality, deep in the court and the court is quite fast here. I had to adjust my game a little bit and it was a constant battle but how I treated the last couple of games was very good. I went for it, I got it and I am very happy. Rune on his win.
Match Stats
| Â | Holger Rune | Alex de Minaur |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 5 | 5 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 5.00 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 67% | 47% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 79% (46/58) | 77% (34/44) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 52% (15/29) | 54% (27/50) |
| Break Points Saved | 50% (2/4) | 67% (6/9) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 23% (10/44) | 21% (12/58) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 46% (23/50) | 48% (14/29) |
| Break Points Converted | 33% (3/9) | 50% (2/4) |
| Winners | 25 | 25 |
| Unforced Errors | 38 | 42 |
| Net Points Won | 50% (4/8) | 87% (20/23) |
| Service Points Won | 70% (61/87) | 65% (61/94) |
| Return Points Won | 35% (33/94) | 30% (26/87) |
| Total Points Won | 52% (94/181) | 48% (87/181) |
| Service Games Won | 88% (14/16) | 81% (13/16) |
| Return Games Won | 19% (3/16) | 13% (2/16) |
| Total Games Won | 53% (17/32) | 47% (15/32) |
Highlights
Humbert Tops Thompson
Ugo Humbert’s Paris run took another step forward on Friday. Thanks to a 6-2 7-6(4) win over Jordan Thompson, he became the first French player to make the semi-finals in Bercy since 2019.
Humbert is thriving off the crowd this week, and he carried on from where he left off last night, grabbing the first set 6-2 with some swashbuckling-type play.
However, Thompson brought some of his Aussie grit to the fore in the second. He served much better and began to put Humbert under more pressure on serve.
That culminated with Thompson saving two match points at 4-5 on serve, then fashioning a break of serve at 5-5 to put him on the cusp of levelling the match.
However, a 5-minute medical timeout from Humbert at the change of ends for what appeared to be nothing more than phantom injury (foot discomfort, apparently) cooled Thommo down, and he failed to serve out the set.
The breaker and the home crowd were right behind their charge, and after an exchange of mini breaks at 3-3, Humbert’s ability to disguise direction on his forehand saw him fire two winners to take it 7-4.
I’ve played a solid match from start to finish. I started well, being ultra aggressive. I felt that it was too quick for him; he served better in the second set, so I had fewer opportunities. I’ve felt a pain in the foot after I was broken, but he gave me some second serves after that and then I made great shots in the tiebreak, so I’m very proud of myself. I’m very proud of myself. If there’s a third set, there’s a third set, that’s what I thought when I was broken. You have to accept it. But I felt focused no matter what. I keep in mind matches where I was too passive. Here I am in mode: ‘go for it, and, if you miss, you miss, but no regret. Humbert on his win.
Match Stats
| Â | Jordan Thompson | Ugo Humbert |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 4 | 8 |
| Double Faults | 0 | 2 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 60% | 70% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 71% (25/35) | 79% (34/43) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 43% (10/23) | 56% (10/18) |
| Break Points Saved | 57% (4/7) | 50% (1/2) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 21% (9/43) | 29% (10/35) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 44% (8/18) | 57% (13/23) |
| Break Points Converted | 50% (1/2) | 43% (3/7) |
| Winners | 12 | 22 |
| Unforced Errors | 23 | 28 |
| Net Points Won | 64% (7/11) | 89% (8/9) |
| Max Points In Row | 60% (35/58) | 72% (44/61) |
| Service Points Won | 28% (17/61) | 40% (23/58) |
| Return Points Won | 44% (52/119) | 56% (67/119) |
| Service Games Won | 70% (7/10) | 90% (9/10) |
| Return Games Won | 10% (1/10) | 30% (3/10) |
| Total Games Won | 40% (8/20) | 60% (12/20) |
Highlights
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Khachanov Denies Dimitrov
Karen Khachanov headed into his quarter-final with a dreadful record against one-handed backhand players and a 0-4 H2H record against Grigor Dimitrov.
However, I’ve watched both of Dimitrov’s matches this week in full, and despite a soft draw, he hasn’t looked in good form.
Yes, he pulled off two three-set wins, but he has looked pretty distant on the court, as though his mind was elsewhere. That continued in the quarter-final, as Khachanov proved too strong with a 6-2 6-3 win, meaning the Russian has now beaten three one-handed backhand players this week, which is uncharted territory!
As for Dimitrov, he played sluggishly throughout. He only landed 48% of first serves and won just 23% behind his second. He didn’t move well on his backhand either and had no real snap to his game.
The loss means he’s out of contention for Turin and likely means the wildcard he requested for Metz is no longer needed. I expect him to withdraw as he looks tired and physically and mentally ready for the off-season.
I started sharp from the baseline and tried to put pressure from the beginning. I was able to break him in the first game and take the lead and after that I noticed that he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent. But he wanted to play and I respect that. Credit to him for that. Khachanov on his win.
Match Stats
| Â | Grigor Dimitrov | Karen Khachanov |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 4 | 6 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 0 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 48% | 76% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 88% (21/24) | 79% (27/34) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 23% (6/26) | 64% (7/11) |
| Break Points Saved | 33% (2/6) | 0% (0/0) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 21% (7/34) | 13% (3/24) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 36% (4/11) | 77% (20/26) |
| Break Points Converted | 0% (0/0) | 67% (4/6) |
| Winners | 17 | 15 |
| Unforced Errors | 27 | 11 |
| Net Points Won | 100% (5/5) | 100% (1/1) |
| Service Points Won | 54% (27/50) | 76% (34/45) |
| Return Points Won | 24% (11/45) | 46% (23/50) |
| Total Points Won | 40% (38/95) | 60% (57/95) |
| Service Games Won | 56% (5/9) | 100% (8/8) |
| Return Games Won | 0% (0/8) | 44% (4/9) |
| Total Games Won | 29% (5/17) | 71% (12/17) |
Highlights
2024 Paris Masters Semi-Finals
- Holger Rune (13) vs Alexander Zverev (3)
- Karen Khachanov vs Ugo Humbert (15)