Alexander Zverev and Ugo Humbert will do battle in Sunday’s 2024 Rolex Paris Masters final after the pair came through Saturday’s semi-finals.
Zverev was the first to book his spot, comfortably seeing off the champion from two years ago, Holger Rune, with another solid serving day.
Ugo Humbert then continued to feed off the crowd, also taking out a former champion, Karen Khachanov, in a three-set battle that lasted 2 hours and 48 minutes.
The recap, stats and highlights from both semi-finals are below.
Rolex Paris Masters 2024 Semi-Final Results
| Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Zverev (3) | Holger Rune (13) | 6-3 7-6(4) |
| Ugo Humbert (15) | Karen Khachanov | 6-7(6) 6-4 6-3 |
Zverev Too Strong For Rune
Sascha Zverev proved too strong for former Champion Holger Rune in Saturday’s first semi-final, overcoming the Dane 6-3, 7-6(4) in 1 hour and 47 minutes.
The German is right up there on the serving stats leaderboard this season, and he’s continued that form in Paris.
In the first set, he was dominant, moving up an early break and maintaining his advantage throughout. He saved two break points in the fifth game to lead 4-1 before taking the set 6-3.
Rune is a player who is always up for a scrap, and at the start of set two, he began to play better, firing in a couple of love holds to get some momentum.
However, Zverev wasn’t going anywhere, and he broke to lead 4-3 with some rock-solid play. Soon, he was serving for the match but failed to do so.
The beauty of Paris is the court-height camera, which allows you to see just how tamely he played that game, which allowed Rune to break back.
Serving out a match is the most challenging task in the sport, but Zverev showed barely any conviction in his play, which cost him.
Fortunately for him, it only made things slightly more complex, and he played a cleaner tiebreak to move through in one hour and 47 minutes.
Outside of the two players on the court, Rune’s loss and Tommy Paul’s withdrawal from Belgrade mean that Grigor Dimitrov finishes the year inside the top 10 for the first time since 2017 and only the second time in his career.
I feel like I made it a little difficult for myself but he is a champion. It is probably his favourite tournament and favourite court, but I am happy to be in my second final here. I am looking forward to it. Zverev on his win.
Match Stats
| Holger Rune | Alexander Zverev | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 9 | 9 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 3% |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 61% | 67% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 72% (33/46) | 82% (37/45) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 48% (14/29) | 59% (13/22) |
| Break Points Saved | 60% (3/5) | 67% (2/3) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 18% (8/45) | 28% (13/46) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 41% (9/22) | 52% (15/29) |
| Break Points Converted | 33% (1/3) | 40% (2/5) |
| Winners | 26 | 26 |
| Unforced Errors | 36 | 25 |
| Net Points Won | 82% (9/11) | 72% (13/18) |
| Service Points Won | 63% (47/75) | 75% (50/67) |
| Return Points Won | 25% (17/67) | 37% (28/75) |
| Total Points Won | 45% (64/142) | 55% (78/142) |
| Service Games Won | 80% (8/10) | 91% (10/11) |
| Return Games Won | 9% (1/11) | 20% (2/10) |
| Total Games Won | 43% (9/21) | 57% (12/21) |
Highlights
Humbert Knocks Out Cramping Khachanov
Ugo Humbert became the first Frenchman to make a Masters 1000 final since Gael Monfils in 2016 (Monte-Carlo) after coming from a set down to defeat 2018 champion Karen Khachanov 6-7(6) 6-4 6-3.
Humbert has been feeding off the fervent Bercy crowd all week, and his explosive, gung-ho tennis style has created an electric atmosphere, especially when he’s behind in the scoreboard like today.
Khachanov is the polar opposite of game style, playing methodically from the baseline, and he captured a very competitive first set via a tiebreak after the pair had both exchanged two breaks of serve in the first twelve games.
In the second set, Humbert began to crush the ball off both wings and while Khachanov stayed in touch, a break of serve in the fifth game was enough to help the Frenchman level.
The decider looked like another nailbiter, but at the 3-2 changeover, Khachanov needed a medical timeout for a leg problem.
On resumption, he was broken, and after that, he didn’t win another point in the match, as Humbert held to love and broke again to love to move into his maiden Masters 1000 final.
It was a disappointing end for the Russian, who was otherwise competitive throughout the two-and-a-half sets. And I will say there were some somewhat over-the-top reactions from Humbert when winning points against an injured opponent. That, combined with his tactical medical timeout against Thompson yesterday, doesn’t look great.
Match Stats
| Karen Khachanov | Ugo Humbert | |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 11 | 9 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 4 |
| 1st Serve Percentage | 65% | 66% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 68% (44/65) | 69% (45/65) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 40% (14/35) | 55% (18/33) |
| Break Points Saved | 50% (5/10) | 50% (2/4) |
| 1st Return Points Won | 31% (20/65) | 32% (21/65) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 45% (15/33) | 60% (21/35) |
| Break Points Converted | 50% (2/4) | 50% (5/10) |
| Winners | 26 | 32 |
| Unforced Errors | 19 | 22 |
| Net Points Won | 80% (4/5) | 78% (14/18) |
| Service Points Won | 58% (58/100) | 64% (63/98) |
| Return Points Won | 36% (35/98) | 42% (42/100) |
| Total Points Won | 47% (93/198) | 53% (105/198) |
| Service Games Won | 69% (11/16) | 87% (13/15) |
| Return Games Won | 13% (2/15) | 31% (5/16) |
| Total Games Won | 42% (13/31) | 58% (18/31) |
Highlights
Paris Masters 2024 Final
- Alexander Zverev (3) vs Ugo Humbert (15)
Who wins the Paris Masters 2024? Let me know in the comments.