Dubai: Fifth seed Ugo Humbert maintained his perfect record in finals by beating Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-3 to claim the Dubai ATP title.
The Frenchman joins Ernests Gulbis and Martin Klizan as the only men in the Open Era to win their first six tour-level finals, with his victory over Bublik earning him a second trophy of the season.
The Frenchman joins Ernests Gulbis and Martin Klizan as the only men in the Open Era to win their first six tour-level finals, with his victory over Bublik earning him a second trophy of the season.
The 25-year-old will make his top-15 debut at 14 when the updated rankings are released on Monday.
He came back from a set down in his opener against his compatriot Gael Monfils, before knocking out Andy Murray, saving three match points against Hubert Hurkacz, and upsetting champion and top seed Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the last four.
Humbert joins Jannik Sinner as the only multiple-title winner in 2024, He also won in Marseille last month. He added a second ATP 500 trophy to his cabinet, following his success in Halle three years ago.
Meanwhile, Bublik, who reached the final when Andrey Rublev shockingly defaulted late in their semi-final, will rise to a career-high 19 in the world thanks to his exploits in Dubai.
Although Bublik had entered the final with an impressive 56 aces struck through four matches, it was Humbert who out-aced his opponent on Saturday, striking nine of his own to Bublik’s eight during the 85-minute final.
