Adrian Mannarino saves three match points to stun Ugo Humbert in Montpellier

In a dramatic all-French clash at the Open Occitanie, Adrian Mannarino produced a vintage escape act to defeat the No 5 seed Ugo Humbert 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday evening. The 37-year-old veteran, currently ranked No 70, reached his first quarter-final of the 2026 season by displaying remarkable resilience in the face of imminent defeat.

After nearly three hours of play at the Sud de France Arena, the match reached a fever pitch in the deciding set when the 27-year-old Humbert, ranked No 38, earned three match points while leading 5-4 on Mannarino’s serve. The world No 70 saved all three with clinical precision before holding serve and eventually dominating the final tie-break to secure the upset.

Mannarino : “extremely satisfying”

Mannarino entered the second round following a 7-6 (3), 6-1 victory over Spaniard Pedro Martinez Portero. Humbert had advanced by beating Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-4 in the previous round but could not close out his compatriot despite his statistical dominance in indoor conditions.

“It went back and forth the whole match; in the third set, I had a small opportunity, then he had three match points, and later I had two break points. It’s a matter of centimeters each time, a bit of luck. I was leading in the tie-break and got a little shaky before pulling ahead again. At the end, I tried not to think too much to avoid focusing on the score. It’s surprising, but it’s extremely satisfying to win a match like that,” Mannarino said after the match.

The veteran will next face 19-year-old French wildcard Arthur Gea in the quarter-finals. Gea advanced after the No 3 seed, Czech Tomas Machac, retired due to injury while Gea led 6-3, 4-5.

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