World no. 4 Daniil Medvedev will not defend an ATP title – again! The winner of 20 different ATP trophies failed to claim back-to-back Dubai titles following a 7-5, 6-3 loss to Ugo Humbert in an hour and 50 minutes. The Frenchman notched his fourth top-5 win in a career, advancing into the title clash and becoming the 15th top-15 player from his country.
Daniil served at 58% and struggled behind the second serve. Ugo played better in the pivotal moments, defending seven out of eight break points and delivering three return games that carried him over the top. Medvedev sprayed too many forehand mistakes, finishing the duel with 21 winners and 30 unforced errors.
Humbert tamed his strokes more efficiently, landing a 31-35 ratio and playing flawless tennis at the net.
They had a similar number of service winners, but Ugo made the difference in the shortest range up to four strokes, winning the match in that segment.
The Frenchman held at 15 in the first game of the encounter, and the Russian responded with two booming serves after deuce in game two. Humbert squandered a 40-0 lead in the third game and experienced a break point after a loose backhand.
A left-hander denied it with a forehand down the line winner and forced Medvedev’s mistake for a 2-1 lead. Daniil played against three break points in the sixth game, saving them and holding with a powerful serve to lock the result at 3-3.
Humbert attacked in the eighth game and landed a smash winner for a break chance. Medvedev erased it with an unreturned serve and fired another to level the score at 4-4. The Frenchman squandered a 40-15 lead in the ninth game and played against a break point after placing a backhand wide.
Ugo saved it with a forehand winner and painted another to bring the game home and remain on the positive side. Humbert secured the 11th game with a service winner and pushed strong on the return in the next one. The Frenchman caused the Russian’s mistake with a deep return and created a set point.
Daniil played a terrible forehand from an ideal position, dropping the opener 7-5 after 61 minutes. Medvedev struggled behind the initial shot again at the beginning of the second set, netting a backhand and facing two break points.
Ugo Humbert took down Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in Dubai.
He saved them and wasted two game points before spraying a backhand error on the third break point, falling a set and a break behind.
Instead of building on that, Ugo squandered a game point at 2-0 with a forehand error and lost serve after an extended rally, bringing Daniil back to the positive side. Medvedev grabbed the fourth game at love with a forehand winner and earned a break point in the next one following an incredible defense and Humbert’s huge forehand error.
A left-hander denied it with a service winner behind the second serve and painted a forehand down the line winner to wrap up the game in style. Daniil earned another chance to break his rival and extend the battle, placing a volley winner at the net in the seventh game for three break chances.
Medvedev sprayed errors on the opening two, and Humbert erased the third with a well-constructed attack and a forehand winner. The Frenchman held after the Russian’s forehand error and gained a boost. Ugo drew Daniil’s mistake in the eighth game and created a break chance.
The lower-ranked player seized it with another right after the return, delivering a crucial break and forging a 5-3 advantage. Humbert served for the win in game nine and started with a service winner. He added one from his forehand for 30-15 and earned a match point after Medvedev’s backhand mistake.
Ugo seized it and started a massive celebration of one of his finest wins, setting the title clash against Alexander Bublik.
The Frenchman will seek his second title of the season after Marseille, hoping to extend his perfect run in the ATP finals (5-0).
Humbert faced Grigor Dimitrov in the Marseille title clash and earned a 6-4, 6-3 victory in an hour and 23 minutes. Ugo never lost serve, defending both break points and keeping the pressure on the other side. He broke Dimitrov once in each set, becoming the eighth player in the Open era with triumphs in the first five ATP finals, the first since Carlos Alcaraz.
With these 250 ATP points, Ugo passed Adrian Mannarino and became France’s no. 1 for the first time. Humbert and Bublik will seek the second ATP 500 title, winning the previous one in Halle in 2021 and 2023, respectively! Two rivals denied the second consecutive all-Russian Dubai final, with Bublik prevailing over Andrey Rublev after the Russian got defaulted in the closing stages of the encounter.
Rublev yelled at the line umpire after a questionable call in the last point of the 11th game, with the supervisor sending him off the court for the first time in a career.
