Halle Westfalen (Germany) (AFP)

Ugo Humbert premiere!

The French, 31st in the world and second French player, trembled until the end on Saturday on the grass of the Halle tournament against Félix Auger-Aliassime but he especially resisted to win at 23 his first final of an ATP 500 tournament. .

Overturned in the second set, lost by conceding five games in a row while leading 3-1, the Lorrainer kept his cool to win at the end of the suspense in a decisive game, after 2 h 33 min of game, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5).

The French left-hander took revenge on the 20-year-old Canadian who beat him in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart last Friday after two hotly contested tie-breaks.

In Halle, Auger-Aliassime had distinguished himself by eliminating Roger Federer.

"It was an incredible game for both of us, but it was very hard physically and mentally," Messin said as he stepped off the court.

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- Rublev to finish in style?

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It must be said that Humbert had to show patience, and character, to win this final in Germany.

Before this half undecided until the end, he had already won in three sets in each of his meetings in Halle, against Sam Querrey, in the tie-break, in the first round (4-6, 7-6, 7-6 ), Sebastian Korda in quarter (6-2, 6-7, 6-4).

And especially against the 6th in the world, Alexander Zverev in the second round (7-6, 3-6, 6-3).

"It gives me a lot of confidence (to win matches like that, editor's note), and to win 7-6 matches twice in the third set," he added for the official ATP website.

Sunday, it's another big piece that awaits him in the person of Andrey Rublev, world No.7.

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The Russian, winner a little earlier from Georgian Nicoloz Basilashvili (30th) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, will take part in the 12th final of his career, at 23 years old.

This year, Rublev already won in Rotterdam in March and only failed in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 final a month later against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas.

If for his part, the 22-year-old Lorraine has only two finals in his wallet, he can be satisfied to have won them both, in Antwerp and Auckland, in 2020.

© 2021 AFP