MARSEILLE, Feb 12 — France’s Ugo Humbert outclassed Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov to claim his fifth ATP title in as many finals at home in Marseille yesterday.
Humbert saw off second seed Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 with a solid serve and an impressive baseline game in the southern port city.
“I’m very strong mentally in finals,” said the fourth-seeded Humbert, who has now won all five finals he has played on the circuit.
“Everything is there. I am pretty solid from the baseline, I serve very well and I am strong mentally,” said Humbert, who also won in his home city of Metz last November.
Dimitrov, a former world number three now ranked 13, showed signs of fatigue after Saturday’s three-hour semi-final battle with Russian Karen Khachanov.
Humbert broke in the 10th game to snatch the opening set. He saved break points early in the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead and keeping Dimitrov at bay with 87 per cent of points won behind first serves.
The 25-year-old had lost to Dimitrov in both previous meetings.
Today, he rises to a new career-high of No. 18 in the ATP rankings to become the new French number one.
“It’s a good feeling to win Marseille. It was here where everything began, where I reached my first semi-final on Tour,” he added. — AFP
