Humbert advances to the semifinals of the ATP 250 Eastbourne tournament
In the first quarterfinal of the day at the Eastbourne tournament, fourth-seeded Ugo Humbert aimed to uphold his ranking. After defeating Lorenzo Sonego (7-5, 6-4) in the round of 16, the Frenchman hoped to confirm his form against Billy Harris.
The British player, meanwhile, entered as a lucky loser after his defeat in the qualifying rounds. The 30-year-old, ranked 142nd in the world, seized his opportunity following Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's withdrawal and went on to eliminate Cameron Norrie (6-4, 6-4) and Mattia Bellucci (6-3, 6-4) in succession.
However, this time the challenge proved too great for Harris, though he still put up a strong fight against his opponent in the first set. After squandering an early break lead—despite leading 5-2—the left-hander regrouped to take the first set in a tiebreak, 7-4.
From there, the Metz native found his rhythm and took control, opening the second set with a double break. In the end, Humbert secured victory in straight sets without expending too much energy along the way (7-6, 6-1 in 1 hour and 30 minutes).
On his 27th birthday, Humbert gave himself a fine present by advancing to the semifinals of the Eastbourne tournament. To reach his second career grass-court final on the ATP Tour (after his 2021 title in Halle), the Frenchman will face the winner of the match between Jenson Brooksby and Daniel Evans, who will square off next on the same Court 1.
