In Tokyo
Humbert accelerates past Machac at the Tokyo finish line
The Frenchman will play either Rune or Fils for a seventh ATP Tour title
September 30, 2024
Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images
Ugo Humbert defeated Tomas Machac on Monday to reach the Tokyo championship match.
Written by Andy West
Ugo Humbert successfully stopped Tomas Machac’s mid-match momentum on Monday to book his place in the final of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo.
The Frenchman raised his level after a tough second set to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 semi-final at ATP 500. Humbert produced his best tennis of the match to win four straight matches. from 2-2 in the third set to advance to his third ATP Tour final of the season (Marseille, Dubai).
🇫🇷 ALLEZ LES BLEUS 🇫🇷@HumbertUgo defeated Tomas Machac 6-3 3-6 6-2 to reach the final at his 7th level.@japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/G1B7brvnRd
– ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2024
“It feels good. “It wasn’t my best game this week, but I still won so I’m very proud of that,” said Humbert. “It was not easy. I had a hard time in the second stage, but in the end, I found a solution and stayed calm. I’m in my seventh ATP Tour final, so I’m very happy.
“It wasn’t easy, because he didn’t allow a lot of rhythm… At the end of the second set, I tried to talk to myself a little bit. After that, the last four games were amazing.”
Humbert will look to improve his overall record to 6-0 in tour-level finals when he takes on sixth seed Holger Rune or #NextGenATP Arthur Fils in Tuesday’s final in Tokyo. The Frenchman, who has risen four times to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings thanks to his run in Japan so far, is chasing his third ATP 500 crown after his victories in Halle in 2021 and in Dubai earlier this year.
