Daniil Medvedev looked quite good at the 2024 Dubai Championships prior to his semifinal match, but the defending champion won't retain his trophy because Ugo Humbert beat him in straight sets.
Medvedev was playing rather well, but there were some things that made some people worry. He is carrying some sort of injury that isn't affecting his play too much, but it certainly bothers him to a degree.
His demolition of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina looked very impressive, but it was more with the Spaniard not playing at his best level. Humbert had his own problems because he needed three sets to overcome Hubert Hurkacz in a very close match.
He has given Medvedev some problems in the past and certainly gave him problems in this meeting as well. The first few games didn't really feature a lot of twists and turns because neither player faced any break points.
Medvedev would be the first one to face one, but he saved it. The same thing happened a few games after that, but this time, Humbert had to save the break point. Eventually, though, the French player got another one, and this time, he used it.
The second set opened with an early break for Humbert, but Medvedev broke back and kept himself alive. He wasn't playing all that well, and the Frenchman was really inspired.
The crucial moment of the whole match came at 3-3 in the second set when Humbert held serve from 0-40. That was a huge momentum shifter as Medvedev totally lost his focus in the next game and got broken.
That was when the French player established a 5-3 lead, and he then finished the match off in the next game, winning it 7-5, 6-3.
It was a pretty shocking win for Humbert, but Medvedev can find some excuses if he really wants to. We'll have to see what happens at the Indian Wells Open, where he'll play next.
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