Paris (AFP)
The French Ugo Humbert, 41st in the world, achieved a small feat in Hamburg by eliminating the Russian Daniil Medvedev, 5th in the world and seeded N.1, Tuesday in the first round (6-4, 6-3).
This is the first success on a Top 10 player for the young Frenchman, aged 22.
"I am very happy," reacted on the court the Messin, who had already made a success of a blow in Rome by beating the Italian Fabio Fognini, 15th in the world.
Rome and Hamburg are the two clay court tournaments ahead of Roland Garros, which begins on Sunday.
Enough to make Ugo Humbert the most fit Frenchman for the big Parisian meeting, unlike Gaël Monfils, beaten earlier by the German guest Yannick Hanfmann (6-4, 6-3).
Humbert, who climbed to the round of 16 at Wimbledon in the summer of 2019, against Novak Djokovic, won his first ATP tournament in January in Auckland.
On a surface, clay, which is less successful, Medvedev missed his preparation for Roland Garros.
It was his first match since his semi-final at the US Open lost to Dominic Thiem, future winner.
Humbert will meet in the second round the Czech Jan Vesely, who eliminated the French Gilles Simon on Monday.
© 2020 AFP