World No. 46 Gael Monfils will meet countryman Ugo Humbert for a spot in the round of 16 at the Shanghai Masters on Monday. The winner of the all-French battle will play Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz on Chinese soil.
Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Ugo Humbert will face one another for the fifth time at tour level on Monday in Shanghai, bidding to set up a fourth-round meeting with world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz at the Masters 1000 event.
The 21-year-old Spaniard beat home hope Yibing Wu 7-6(5), 6-3 in one hour and 40 minutes to record his 50th win this season, securing his spot in the round of 16 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters on Sunday.
After the contest, the 16-time ATP titlist stressed: “I don’t want to say I was surprised, but it was the first time I was playing against him. He beat [Nicolas] Jarry easily, 6-2, 6-2, so that’s impressive. I had to be focused on playing my best.
“I’m not used to feeling the feelings I had on the court. He is a really powerful player, plays really strong, so I felt like I was not dominating the game.”
Alcaraz, who did not face a break point all match, dug deep to overpower Wu’s spirited performance, an opponent he had never played on tour.
The entertaining matchup saw the 24-year-old, ranked at World No. 560, going toe-to-toe with the former world number one, forcing a first-set tiebreak, which the Spanish player eventually took 7-6(5) in 62 minutes.
As the second set wore on, the Roland-Garros champion kicked up a level, but so did Wu, who stepped up the pressure, making Alcaraz work hard behind his serve.
However, the third seed quickly turned the tables in the sixth game, stealing the break with his backhand forcing shot to earn a 4-2 lead.
From there, the 2024 China Open winner fired four aces on his way to sealing the set 6-3 in just 37 minutes.
Alcaraz finished with 23 winners against 13 unforced errors to his adversary 22 and 14.
Moreover, he won 81 percent of the points on his first serve, showcasing a notorious improvement in his service.
Meanwhile, the Chinese player, a former world No. 54, whose career has been disrupted by several injuries, displayed high-quality tennis on home soil, reaching the third round at the tournament for the first time by outlasting 25th seed Nicolas Jarry in the second round and previously world No. 83 Sumit Nagal, both in straight sets.
“He is recovering his level,” Alcaraz outlined. “He’s coming back from injury, but his level deserves to be at the top. If he keeps playing at this level, I’m pretty sure I’m going to see him around more often. I’m just really happy to get through.”
Now, the player coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero awaits to meet either Monfils or Humbert for a place in the quarterfinals.
Humbert, 26, arrived in Shanghai from Japan, where he finished runner-up to compatriot Arthur Fils last week.
Fils became the second player this year to win multiple ATP 500 titles, a feat first accomplished by world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
In China, No. 16 seeded Humbert opened against another Frenchman, Arthur Cazaux, who he defeated 6-3, 6-2 to set up a clash with veteran Monfils.
“I’m super happy to play against Gael,” he asserted in his on-court interview. “He’s a good friend of mine. It will be a nice match.”
For his part, the in-form 38-year-old Parisian is making the most of his seventh appearance at the Masters 1000, moving past Damir Dzhumur and 22nd seed Sebastian Baez to progress to the third round for the fourth time.
Speaking to the press in Shanghai, he commented: “I want to win (as many) matches as I can.
“People think it’s a small goal, but it’s a big goal, to be able still to win matches, try to be as fit as I can, be ready for big matches.”