Home favourite Ugo Humbert produced a five-star display in defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-3 to lift the Open 13 title in Marseille on Sunday.
Humbert powered to a superb victory with a near-flawless performance to become the seventh Frenchman to lift the title at the indoor ATP 250 event.
“I’m very strong mentally in finals,” said 25-year-old Humbert in his on-court interview. “It was a great match against Grigor, he’s one of the best players at the moment, so it was not easy. It’s so nice to win at home again.
“It’s here where everything began, because I reached my first semi-final on Tour [here]. It’s really nice to win Marseille, it’s a good feeling.”
The Frenchman was relentlessness from the back of the court and a lone break in the 10th game of the first set was enough to hand Humbert the set.
After saving two break point chances in the opening game of the second set, Humbert raced to a 3-0 lead and he didn’t look back to seal an 84-minute victory.
“Everything is there. I am pretty solid from the baseline, I serve very well and I am strong mentally,” said Humbert, who has now won his past eight matches indoors after also lifting a trophy on home soil in Metz last November. “Everything is here and I put everything on court.”
Humbert, who had lost to Dimitrov in both of the pair’s previous meetings, will rise to a new career-high of No 18 in the ATP rankings on Monday.
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