When Humbert was two points from winning, he was chased by angry insects that entered the hall and ducked to calm down. Humbert advanced to two match points and settled on the second when a ball from Alcaraz sailed over the baseline.
Humbert threw away his cap and cheered to catch up with the fanatical home crowd in Bercyhallen.
Close to nullifying Alcaraz in the first set
– It was a crazy match, a crazy atmosphere. Maybe my last one in Bercy (before the tournament moves to a new location from next year), so I tried to do everything tonight. It was a really big match, one of my biggest victories in my career, says Humbert.
In the first set, world number two Alcaraz toiled like an animal to avoid being tied at 5-0.
When Alcaraz took the second set quite easily, it looked like ending with the Spanish favorite victory after some problems, but 18th-ranked Humbert played the match of his life and was able to take the victory in this crowd match where mostly forehands celebrated triumphs.