Ugo Humbert defeats Alexander Shevchenko to lift fourth career title in Metz

France’s Ugo Humbert won the ATP 250 title in his native Metz with a dominant final victory against Alexander Shevchenko on Sunday.

The 25-year-old native of Metz won the trophy with his third break of the 67-minute match, finishing 6-3, 6-3 to wrap up an incredible week on home court and raise his record to 4-0 in tour-level singles finals.

As a result, Humbert will end the year ranked No. 20 in the ATP Rankings, which is a career-high, he will also become the French No. 1 for the first time.

“It was my dream when I was young to win this tournament,” Humbert said post-match. “It’s just amazing. I have a lot of feelings now, I can’t describe it. It’s so incredible to win here in my hometown in front of my family. To finish strong like this, it’s just an amazing feeling.”

Ugo Humbert defeated Sofia champion Adrian Mannarino for both honours by claiming the Metz crown just an hour after the veteran’s triumph in Bulgaria.

“So great for French tennis, so good!”, Ugo Humbert said when he learned of Mannarino’s success.

The Metz champion will become the first Frenchman inside the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings since Gael Monfils in August 2022.

“I tried to play my game. I tried to put the pressure on every point,” the Frenchman said of his front-foot approach in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Shevchenko. “It was not easy. I knew that the key was to stay really present and I did it. When I had the opportunities, I tried to go for it and I did it. I’m super proud.”

The three ATP titles Humbert had previously won were in 2020 (Auckland, Antwerp) and 2021 (Halle).

Shevchenko, meanwhile, was attempting to make history this season by becoming the seventh first-time ATP Tour winner. Even with the loss, he will make his Top 50 debut thanks to his journey to his first tour-level final.