Humbert returns to Wimbledon fourth round, faces Alcaraz next

Ugo Humbert beat the rain to wrap up a four-set victory against Brandon Nakashima on a gloomy Saturday at Wimbledon. The 16th-seeded Frenchman closed out a a 7-6(9), 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(8) victory in a brief window of play on the outer courts.

In a match that was delayed from Friday, Humbert and Nakashima’s wait was further extended by early rain on Saturday before play began around 1 p.m. While play lasted for less than 30 minutes on the outer courts, that was enough time for Humbert to win the fourth-set tie-break.

The 16th seed, through to the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time since his 2019 debut, will next meet defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

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Humbert clinched victory on his fourth match point after leading 6/3 in the decisive tie-break. The Frenchman is up one place to No. 15 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings this week; his career-high PIF ATP Ranking is No. 13, achieved in April.

The Frenchman will meet Alcaraz for their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting on Sunday. The Spaniard survived a five-set thriller against Frances Tiafoe to continue his title defence with a 5-7, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-2 result.

In the same section of the draw, Roberto Bautista Agut clawed past Fabio Fognini 7-6(6), 3-6, 5-7, 7-6(1), 6-4 in a battle of former Top 10 players.

The Spaniard is into the fourth round of a major for just the second time since the start of the 2022 season. Bautista Agut advanced to the semi-finals of Wimbledon in 2019.

Nearly the first four sets were played Friday, with Fognini taking a two-sets-to-one advantage. But upon the resumption late in the fourth set, Bautista Agut dominated the tie-break and used the momentum to win the deciding set.

The No. 75 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings will next face 12th seed Tommy Paul, who cruised past 23rd seed Alexander Bublik on Friday. Bautista Agut won the pair’s first three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, but Paul has claimed their two matches since to narrow the deficit to 2-3.

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