Humbert falls again against his nemesis: Rune advances to the round of 16 in Shanghai

Ugo Humbert couldn't find the solutions to overcome a solid Holger Rune in the Chinese city.

On Center Court, the schedule opened with a match between Holger Rune and Ugo Humbert in the third round of the Shanghai Masters 1000. The Frenchman approached this encounter with one goal in mind: to defeat the Dane for the first time in his career, as Rune had won all four of their previous ATP Tour meetings.

Earlier this year at Indian Wells, the match had been competitive, but Rune came out on top (5-7, 6-4, 7-5). This time, the world number 11 controlled the match much more effectively. Almost always ahead on the scoreboard, the 2022 Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 winner never really faltered.

With 17 winners and only 6 unforced errors, the 22-year-old player quickly took control in both sets to win after a fourth and final love game against an opponent who seemed to have no answers in return (6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour 34 minutes).

Holger Rune, who reached the round of 16 in Shanghai last year, returns to that stage of the competition one year later and could face Taylor Fritz, who eliminated him from this same tournament in 2024, in the next round if the American defeats Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

On the other side, Humbert, ranked 26th in the ATP, loses for the fifth time in as many meetings against Rune and continues his mediocre season, failing to build confidence ahead of the Paris Masters 1000, where he will have to defend points from last year's final.