Preview ATP Adelaide International: Ugo Humbert and Tomas Machac stun top seeds to set up final showdown

The final of the ATP 250 Adelaide International will be played this Saturday, January 17, featuring two unexpected protagonists: Ugo Humbert and Tomáš Machac, who both eliminated the top two seeds in the semifinals.

The Frenchman and the Czech are chasing their first title of the season in a clash that will be contested after the women’s final between Mirra Andreeva and Victoria Mboko.

Humbert survived a tight battle against top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who was still searching for his maiden ATP title. The Frenchman eventually secured the win in a third-set tie-break.

On the other side of the draw, Machac, the tournament’s eighth seed, came from behind to defeat Tommy Paul 2–6, 6–3, 6–3, booking his place in the final.

Machac arrives in the https://www.tennis.com.au/adelaide-international?page=1Adelaide final after building strong momentum following a brief run in Brisbane, where he fell to compatriot Jiří Lehečka. This week in Adelaide, the Czech overcame demanding tests against James Duckworth, Quentin Halys and Jaume Munar, all in straight sets, before turning things around against Paul in the semifinals.

In that match, Macháč was highly effective on serve, winning 78% of his first-serve points, a key factor in reaching the final.

This marks Macháč’s first ATP final since the 2025 Mexican Open, back in February, where he defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to lift the trophy. Adelaide will be his third ATP-level final and he will be chasing his second career title, following that ATP 500 triumph in Mexico.

A spot in the final already guarantees Macháč a five-place rise into the ATP Top 30. A victory on Saturday would push him further up to World No. 24, bringing him close to his career-high ranking of No. 20, achieved a year ago.

Humbert’s road to the final was far from easy, as he defeated Terence Atmane, Tallon Griekspoor (fourth seed), Aleksandar Shevchenko, and finally top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a dramatic 6–3, 5–7, 7–6(4) semifinal.

The Frenchman earned revenge for his semifinal exit at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where he was forced to retire injured against Davidovich Fokina — a tournament that eventually saw the Spaniard finish runner-up behind João Fonseca.

Humbert began his season with a first-round loss in Brisbane, but rebounded strongly in Adelaide to reach the 11th ATP final of his career. He won his first six finals in a row, a streak that lasted until the Dubai Tennis Championships, but has captured just one of his last four finals, most recently falling to Casper Ruud in the Stockholm Open final.

This week, Humbert is chasing his first title since the 2025 Open 13 Provence in Marseille, aiming to start the season with renewed confidence. He is already guaranteed to rise to World No. 33, but a title would lift him further up the rankings, potentially reaching No. 24.

Both players will travel to the Australian Open unseeded, despite being among the highest-ranked players outside the seeded cut.

Machac faces a challenging first-round clash against former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov, while Humbert is set for a blockbuster encounter with eighth seed Ben Shelton, one of the most competitive matches of the opening round at the Happy Slam.