Alexander Zverev survived a tight three-set battle against home hopeful
Ugo Humbert at the 2023
Paris Masters, eventually winning the match after almost 3 and a half hours, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
The World No. 10 moved past Hungarian player Marton Fucsovics in three sets to reach the Round of 32, while World No. 26 Humbert defeated Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-3 to set up the clash with Zverev.
It was clear that the encounter would be closely contested from the beginning, as Humbert created several chances to break. Although this delighted the crowd (who were heard shouting "Ugo!" throughout the match) the French player was unable to convert any of the long and arduous battles fought on deuce in Zverev's service games.
Ultimately, it was the German player who got the first break of the match and it was a crucial one as it put him in a position to serve for the set. While Humbert fought for a break point in Zverev's next service game, he once again failed to convert it and his opponent claimed the opener.
Humbert wins second set but Zverev clinches decider
Mid-way through the second set the match looked like a done deal as Zverev broke Humbert again and took the lead. However, the 25-year-old did not give up so easily and finally managed to win a thrilling break point to prevent Zverev from successfully serving for the match.
Eventually, a tiebreak was required, and Humbert soared ahead to a 4-1 lead. Although Zverev won back some points, his opponent stayed a mini break ahead and closed out the second set to force a decider.
In the decider, the crowd erupted with joy when Humbert secured a break, but this was short-lived as the tenth seed broke back to level the set. As both players continued to hold their ground, another tiebreak was eventually needed to determine the winner of the match.
Humbert once again took an early lead in the tiebreak, but Zverev was able to catch up this time and leveled the tie at 4-4. From there, they moved to 5-5 before Zverev got match point at 6-5. The crowd were emotional and restless, but the 26-year-old stayed calm and sealed the deal after a nail-biting finale.
Zverev will face seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Round of 16 at the Paris Masters.
