Jannik Sinner vs. Hugh Humbert in Monte Carlo: a precedent hurts
Tuesday, April 7, will be the day of Jannik Sinner’s long-awaited debut at the Monte Carlo Masters 1000. The South Tyrolean outfielder will take the court around 12:30 p.m., and waiting for him will be Ugo Humbert. The Frenchman is fresh off a first-round victory over young compatriot Moise Kouame, who also gave him a hard time despite the contest being settled in two sets (6-3, 7-5). The only two previous records against the San Candido champion, however, speak of a substantial parity between the two.
Sinner and Humbert have in fact faced each other on only two occasions in official ATP circuit matches. The most recent, moreover, is close to being four years old: it was the first round at the Internazionali di Roma in 2021, in which the Italian managed to prevail in two fairly one-sided sets (6-2, 6-4). Two years earlier, in 2019, however, it was the Frenchman who prevailed in the Next Gen Finals. On the concrete of Milan it ended 4-3(5), 3-4(3), 4-2, 4-2 for the transalpine tennis player.
Despite the world number 34, however, it is a well-known fact that clay is not the favorite surface of the 1998-born left-hander. And finding himself in Monte Carlo facing Moise Kouame, number 328 but an emerging talent in French tennis at just 17 years old, has already proved to be no easy task for Humbert. All this while his next opponent Sinner instead wants to flesh out his possible overtaking of friend-rival Carlos Alcaraz, currently No. 1 in the ATP rankings but increasingly attackable by the determined Alto Adige.
The same Alcaraz moreover praised him in no uncertain terms upon arrival in Monte Carlo. “I was surprised to see Sinner here after wins in Indian Wells and Miami. It means that he is well physically and is ready to win anywhere,” the ATP No. 1 ranked player remarked at the media day of the Masters 1000 hosted on the Principality’s courts.
Between him and Sinner, moreover, the first official confrontation of the season is still missing: “I hope to face him here, because we haven’t met yet this year. I would like to challenge him on clay.” It is precisely on this surface that Alcaraz is called upon to defend a very heavy points haul: successes in Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros, as well as the Barcelona final lost to Holger Rune.
