Humbert Edges Davidovich Fokina in Adelaide Semifinal Thriller
Under Adelaide’s floodlights, Ugo Humbert summoned composure to outlast top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a three-set battle that swung on mental resets and sharp angles. The Frenchman’s tie-break win propels him toward a debut title against Tomas Machac.
In the charged night air of Adelaide on January 16, 2026, Ugo Humbert turned the semifinal into a gritty standoff, his precise inside-out forehands carving open the court against top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The Frenchman seized the first set 6-3 by pinning his opponent deep with heavy topspin, forcing errors on crosscourt returns that skimmed the baseline. What unfolded was a match pulsing with the weight of unfinished business for both, the crowd’s cheers echoing off the hard courts as Humbert pushed toward his 11th ATP Tour final.
Davidovich Fokina, the No. 15 in the PIF ATP Rankings, refused to fade, leveling the score at one set apiece with a 7-5 second-set surge built on blistering backhand returns. His explosive athleticism disrupted Humbert’s rhythm, that scorching winner on set point a spark that ignited the decider’s tension. The Spaniard, still chasing his maiden ATP Tour title after four finals in 2025—including a heartbreaking Washington loss to Alex de Minaur where three championship points vanished—channeled that frustration into every dive and stretch.
“I thought I was half Australian, so thank you so much guys,” Humbert said to the crowd. “The atmosphere was so good, I enjoyed my time on the court so much. It was a great match, Foki played at a great level, and I’m super happy that I’m in the final here.”
He’s done it @HumbertUgo takes out Davidovich Fokina in a three-set battle to secure his spot in the Adelaide final!@AdelaideTennis | #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/Xlohztyh3v
— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 16, 2026
Davidovich Fokina claws into decider
Humbert’s early dominance relied on a one–two pattern, serving wide to the backhand then ripping down-the-line forehands that hugged the lines. But Davidovich Fokina adapted, mixing slice backhands to skid low on the Adelaide hard courts, shortening rallies and pulling the Frenchman forward into net exchanges. The shift forced Humbert to reset, his deeper positioning in the baseline absorbing the Spaniard’s flat groundstrokes and turning defense into counterpunches.
The crowd, split in their loyalties, roared with each momentum swing, the surface’s quick bounce amplifying every unforced error. Davidovich Fokina’s surge peaked as he held serve under pressure, his eyes locked on the tie-break horizon, evoking the ghosts of those prior near-misses. Humbert, drawing from a 2025 season of flashes on faster courts, stayed composed, varying his depths to keep the Spaniard guessing.
Tie-break composure seals Humbert’s advance
As the third set knotted at 6-6, the tie-break became a pressure cooker, Davidovich Fokina striking first with an inside-in backhand that tested Humbert’s reflexes. The Frenchman responded with deep serves that neutralized returns, his heavy topspin forehand forcing a netted error at 7-6(4). That final point landed like a release, Humbert’s fist pump cutting through the night as he advanced to face Tomas Machac, whom he leads 1-0 in their ATP head-to-head.
Machac earned his spot earlier with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 comeback over second seed Tommy Paul, ramping up intensity in the decider with crosscourt backhands that exploited lapses from the American’s recent foot injury layoff. The Czech snapped a four-match losing streak—dating to Shanghai—with a first-round win over James Duckworth, his movement thriving on these bouncy courts. Reaching his third ATP Tour final since Acapulco last February, Machac carries resurgence into Saturday’s clash.
“I started very slow, but then I just tried to fight and move better, and it went great, I could barely miss,” Machac said in his on-court interview. “Normally I play great in Australia, so maybe [the turnaround in form] is because of you guys! I will just try to play my tennis and I will definitely enjoy the final.”
For Davidovich Fokina, this marks a second straight deciding-set tie-break loss, a cruel pattern in his pursuit of that elusive first trophy at this ATP 250 event. Humbert’s debut run here feels like a breakthrough, his tactical adjustments blending power with placement on a surface that rewards precision. As the final looms, expect another layer of intensity, where mental edges and court angles could tip the scales under the Adelaide lights.
