Superb Humbert downs Dimitrov to clinch Marseille crown

Ugo Humbert delivered a five-star display for his fifth ATP Tour title Sunday at the Open 13 Provence.

Taking on the in-form Grigor Dimitrov in the championship match in Marseille, Humbert powered to a 6-4, 6-3 victory with a near-flawless performance of precise serving and rock-solid baseline play to become the seventh Frenchman to lift the title at the indoor ATP 250.

“I’m very strong mentally in finals,” said the fourth-seeded Humbert in his on-court interview. “It was a great match against Grigor, he’s one of the best players at the moment, so it was not easy. It’s so nice to win at home again.”

“It’s here where everything began, because I reached my first semi-final on Tour [here]. It’s really nice to win Marseille, it’s a good feeling.”

Masterclass in Marseille🏆@HumbertUgo is now unbeaten in his last 5 tour-level finals after defeating Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 to lift the @Open13 title!#Open13Provence pic.twitter.com/M7N8hOjQfW

— ATP Tour (@atptour) February 11, 2024

A first set dominated by serve saw no break point until the 10th game. Humbert let slip his first opportunity to take the set at 5-4, 40/A on Dimitrov’s serve but made no mistake with the second as his relentlessness from the back of the court helped him move ahead.

After then saving two break points to hold in the opening game of the second set, Humbert raced to a 3-0 lead and barely looked back as he wrapped a deserved victory in which he won 87 per cent (33/38) of points behind first serves, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

With his 84-minute victory, Humbert also became the eighth player in the Open Era to win his first five tour-level finals. The 25-year-old, who had lost to Dimitrov in both of the pair’s previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, will also on Monday rise to a new career-high of No. 18 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as a result of his latest title run.

“Everything is there. I am pretty solid from the baseline, I serve very well and I am strong mentally,” said Humbert, who has now won his past eight matches indoors after also lifting a trophy on home soil in Metz last November. “Everything is here and I put everything on court.”