Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas during his round of 32 match against France’s Ugo Humbert. [Reuters]
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ title defense at the Dubai Tennis Championships ended in disappointment Tuesday, as the Greek former world No 3 fell in the first round to 2024 champion Ugo Humbert, 6-4, 7-5.
Tsitsipas, who won the Dubai ATP 500 last year and entered the match with 500 ranking points to defend, struggled behind his second serve and was broken once in each set. The 27-year-old mis-hit a forehand on the final point, handing Humbert an 86-minute victory.
“I think it was a big battle on serve,” Humbert said. “We served very well from the beginning to the end. I was a bit lucky. In the last game at 5-4, I did a double fault, but when I had opportunities, I took them. I’m happy about this first win, because Stef is a big player.”
The defeat leaves Tsitsipas outside the ATP’s top 40 for the first time since May 2018. Currently ranked 42nd, he could slide further if other players perform well in Dubai and Acapulco.
Tsitsipas showed signs of a resurgence last week in Doha, reaching the quarterfinals with a win over Daniil Medvedev.
Humbert, now 7-1 in Dubai, will face Andrey Rublev in the second round, while Tsitsipas turns his attention to the Indian Wells tournament, which begins March 4.
