Adelaide International 2
\n Humbert denies top seed Davidovich Fokina in Adelaide SF thriller<\/p>\n
Frenchman faces Machac in bid for eighth ATP Tour title<\/p>\n
January 16, 2026<\/p>\n
Michael Errey\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Ugo Humbert is making his debut at the Adelaide International this week.
\n By Jerome Coombe<\/p>\n
Ugo Humbert<\/a> kept alive his bid for a debut crown at the Adelaide International<\/a> in memorable fashion on Friday night, when he edged top seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina<\/a> in a tense deciding-set tie-break.<\/p>\n The Frenchman held firm under the lights to claim a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(4) victory and advance to his 11th ATP Tour final. In Saturday\u2019s championship, Humbert will seek an eighth ATP Tour title when he faces Tomas Machac<\/a>, whom he leads 1-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I was half Australian, so thank you so much guys,\u201d Humbert said to the crowd. \u201cThe 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\u2019m super happy that I\u2019m in the final here.\u201d<\/p>\n He’s done it \ud83d\ude24@HumbertUgo<\/a> takes out Davidovich Fokina in a three-set battle to secure his spot in the Adelaide final!@AdelaideTennis<\/a> | #AdelaideTennis<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Xlohztyh3v<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 ATP Tour (@atptour) January 16, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n For Davidovich Fokina, the loss represented another cruel near miss at the business end of a tournament. The No. 15 player in the PIF ATP Rankings suffered his second straight defeat in a deciding-set tie-break, coming after his Washington heartbreak in July, when he squandered three championship points against Alex de Minaur<\/a> in the final \u2014 one of four title matches he reached in 2025 as he continues his pursuit of a maiden ATP Tour trophy.<\/p>\n Making his debut at the ATP 250 event in Adelaide, Humbert imposed himself for long stretches of the semi-final, carving the court open with sharp angles and relentless intent. Though Davidovich Fokina surged back to force a decider \u2014 highlighted by a scorching backhand return winner on set point in the second set \u2014 Humbert reset quickly and delivered when it mattered most, navigating the tension of the tie-break with composure.<\/p>\n Earlier on Friday, Machac booked his spot in the final with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over second seed Tommy Paul<\/a>, continuing his resurgence in Adelaide. The Czech found an extra burst of intensity in the deciding set to reach his third ATP Tour final and first since lifting the trophy in Acapulco last February.<\/p>\n Both semi-finalists arrived in Adelaide seeking momentum after challenging closing stretches to the 2025 season. Paul missed the final three months of the year with a foot injury before returning in Brisbane last week, while Machac snapped a four-match losing streak \u2014 dating back to Shanghai in October \u2014 with a first-round win over Australia\u2019s James Duckworth<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI started very slow, but then I just tried to fight and move better, and it went great, I could barely miss,\u201d Machac said in his on-court interview. \u201cNormally 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n