HSBC Championships 2026: Tommy Paul through to final with win over Ugo Humbert
• 2 minute read
Tommy Paul is playing like a man on a mission at this year’s HSBC Championships, with the American now set to compete in the Queen’s final once again.
The 2024 champion was in devastating form to sail past France’s Ugo Humbert and reach his fourth ATP final of the season already.
Paul managed to soak up the aggressive, flat groundstrokes to defeat the world No.33 6-3, 6-3 in just an hour and 19 minutes.
He is now on a nine-match winning streak at The Queen’s Club, having missed last year with injury, and has been relishing the chance to get back on the grass.
“I’m definitely happy with the performance and happy to be back in the finals here,” Paul said in his post-match interview.
“This is one of the best tournaments on the schedule. I absolutely love this court, I love playing in front of you guys (the crowd).
“He’s such a tough opponent, he can change the direction at any time. He’s super dangerous, especially on this grass court. I was very happy to get through that. The first set was a little tricky for me and then I was happy to be able to hold out the second.”
It’s a season that has gone from strength to strength for Paul. He’s now the second player to reach four finals this year – only bettered by Jannik Sinner – and has one title in Houston.
He’s also only the third man to reach 30 wins this year – bettered only by Sinner and recent Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev.
“I’m super pumped to be playing the level of tennis that I have been this year,” he said. “Only one title though, so I’ve got to get a win tomorrow to make my year a lot better.
“I’m excited to get back out here tomorrow.”
The American is yet to drop a set this week, cruising his way to the final, while his final opponent Francisco Cerundolo has had three of his four matches go to a deciding third set.
Paul seemed to have all the answers to Humbert’s game plan in the second match of the day on the Andy Murray Arena.
The Frenchman – who had to finish two matches yesterday – came out full of energy and playing fast and flat off both wings to try and make it difficult for Paul on the grass.
Humbert managed to overturn a break from his opening game, but after that it was all one-way traffic in Paul’s favour.
The former Australian Open semi-finalist quickly adjusted and found the perfect response to what Humbert threw at him. Paul was able to absorb the Frenchman’s groundstrokes and keep the rallies ticking over, frequently forcing a mistake from his opponent.
Three key stats
- Strong in attack - Paul coverted 78% of points in attack compared to the draw average 68%
- Effective defence - The American stole 42% of points when in defence; draw average 32%
- Excellent movement - Paul had a movement quality score of 9.4/10 compared to the draw average 7.2
Paul broke straight back and managed to serve out the set, before opening the second with a 2-0 advantage.
Humbert couldn’t find the answers to trouble Paul on serve in the second set and was unable to create a single break point opportunity.
The American outlasted Humbert once again in the final rally, with the French star planting a backhand in the net on Paul’s first match point.
In the end it was a professional and impressive win for Paul, who now becomes only the fifth active player to reach multiple finals at Queen’s – including Marin Cilic, Novak Djokovic, Matteo Berrettini, and Carlos Alcaraz.
You can watch the HSBC Championships final on Sunday 21 June live on the BBC, BBC digital services and on Tennis Channel.
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