World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged that he “was not up to the level” of France’s 18th-ranked Ugo Humbert, who stunned the Spanish superstar on Thursday by defeating him in the third round of the Paris Masters. After losing twice against Alcaraz earlier in 2024, left-handed Humbert defeated the French Open and Wimbledon champion 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to record his first victory over the champion.
Alcaraz had to overcome a 0–5 deficit in the opening set before he could score, thus it was a tough night for him.
The match was quite fierce. I had some reservations about my game at first. It wasn’t easy to get into the game against a player who attacks whenever he can and hits quite forcefully at the first chancHumbert, who won two championships in 2024 from Dubai and Marseille, declared himself “extremely proud of myself.”
“The match and the atmosphere were crazy.”e,” Alcaraz said.
“I couldn’t match his level of performance. Ugo gave an excellent performance. He hits the ball in an amazing manner.