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Adds Alcaraz quotes

World number two Carlos Alcaraz admitted he was “not at the level” of 18th-ranked Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who scored a shock Paris Masters third-round victory over the Spanish superstar on Thursday.

The left-handed Humbert prevailed 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to record his first win over the French Open and Wimbledon champion after losing twice to Alcaraz in early 2024.

It was a busy night for Alcaraz, who was 5-0 down in the first set before he managed to get on the board.

“It was a very intense game. I started with some doubts about my game. “It wasn’t easy to get into the game against a player who attacks whenever he can, who strikes very aggressively at every opportunity,” admitted Alcaraz.

“I wasn’t at the level he showed. Ugo’s performance was really high. The way he hits the ball is incredible.”

Humbert, who won two titles in Marseille and Dubai in 2024, said he was “super proud of myself”.

“It was a crazy game, a crazy atmosphere.”

The 21-year-old Alcaraz has endured a rollercoaster second half of the season since his heartbreaking Paris Olympics final defeat to Novak Djokovic.

He was eliminated in the second round of the US Open by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp, defeated top seed Jannik Sinner in the Beijing final before being eliminated in the quarterfinals by world number 33 Tomas Machac at the Shanghai Masters.

Humbert will then face Australian Jordan Thompson for a place in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters.

The French number one narrowly edged out Alcaraz 28 to 23 on Thursday, with both players making 38 unforced errors.

Thompson, ranked 28th, reached the quarterfinals of a Masters for the first time by defeating Adrian Mannarino of France 7-5, 7-6 (7/5).

Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur’s bid to become the first Australian since Lleyton Hewitt to reach the ATP Tour finals 20 years ago was given new impetus as the number nine seed beat in-form Briton Jack Draper 5-7, 6-2, 6th :3 defeated.

With the win, De Minaur moved up to the eighth and final qualifying spot for the season finale in Turin.

“I’m going to put my body on the line, do my best and show my opponent that I can do this all day long. “I had to bring that intensity because Jack is a hell of a competitor and he’s playing with so much confidence at the moment,” De Minaur said.

He next faces 13th seed Holger Rune of Denmark, who ended the streak of French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said he felt like a “bull” as he kept his slim hopes of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals alive, recovering from a set down to beat Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (1/7) , 6-4, 6 to beat -2.

“At the beginning of the second set I felt like a bull,” said the 26-year-old Tsitsipas, who probably needs a place in the Paris final to stay in the race for Turin.

The 11th-ranked Greek will next face world number three Alexander Zverev, who beat France’s Arthur Fils 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to book a place in the semi-finals.

Zverev fired 16 aces and saved three break points as he served in the decider to make it 5-3.

The German star will contest his 31st Masters quarterfinal when he takes on Tsitsipas, who has won 10 of the pair’s 15 meetings.

Russia’s Karen Khachanov, the 2018 Paris champion, beat Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 and will next face either Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov or Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech.