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Tommy Paul vs Ugo Humbert: Indian Wells Masters – Third round
The second-highest-ranked American player, Tommy Paul, will face one of only two players with two titles this season, Ugo Humbert, in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters.
Tommy Paul Profile
Tommy Paul is 17th in the ATP rankings, five spots lower than his career high. The American is 11-4 for the season and 7-4 on hard surface.
Paul is coming off a 6-2 win over Alex Michelsen in the second round at Indian Wells.
Last week, Paul lost in the opening round in Acapulco to Jack Draper. The week before, he made it to the final in Delray Beach, losing to Taylor Fritz. The first title of the season and second in his career came in Dallas, where Paul defeated Marcos Giron in the final.
This is Paul’s fifth appearance in Indian Wells, and he has made it to the round of 16 twice before.
Ugo Humbert Profile
Ugo Humbert has the highest ranking in his career, being No. 14 in the world. The 25-year-old is 14-3 for the season, including 10-2 on hard surface, and has already won two titles.
Humbert defeated Alexander Bublik in the final in Dubai last week and earlier this year beat Grigor Dimitrov to win in Marseille.
He is coming off a 6-4, 6-4 win over Patrick Kypson in the second round at Indian Wells. This is his fourth appearance in this tournament, and for the second year in a row, he has made it to the third round.
Head-to-Head Paul leads 2-0
- Paul vs Humbert 6-1, 7-6 (2023 ATP Cincinnati, second round)
- Paul vs Humbert 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 (2018 Challenger Champinas, first round)
Prediction and Conclusion
Both players are having an excellent start to the season, already winning a title and being among the top 20 players on the tour. Humbert is playing by far the best tennis of his career. It looks like he is enjoying every second on the court and has huge confidence in his game. The same can be said about Paul, who won both of the previous matches against Humbert. Given their form, this will be a tight battle with both players having their momentum in the match, and it will most likely be a long one, going over 22.5 games in total.
