Two months after their one-sided Paris Masters final, Ugo Humbert and Alexander Zverev tussle in Sunday's Australian Open fourth-round match, with the Frenchman keen to advance to the last eight at a Grand Slam for the first time.
Realising that ambition will be easier said than done against the world No. 2, who has not dropped a set en route to another fourth round Down Under.
Match preview
© Imago
Arthur Fils's ankle injury during his round-three contest with Humbert meant fans at John Cain Arena were denied a possible thrilling five-setter - hours after Naomi Osaka was forced to retire during her round-three encounter with Belinda Bencic at the same venue - with the No. 1 Frenchman advancing to his first-ever fourth-round match in Australia.
Both men had slugged it out for two hours and 37 minutes before the effervescent Fils's involvement at Melbourne Park ended early, all to Humbert's gain.
While cynics will play down the 14th seed's feat Down Under, given he faced qualifiers in rounds one and two, and his first seeded opponent in the third round was in the wars.
The upshot of the French player's progress means he has overcome his third-round hoodoo at the opening Major of the season, having reached a third match at the Slam in 2023 and last year, only to lose to Holger Rune in straight sets two years back and ninth seed Hubert Hurkacz in 2024.
This year's progress means the 26-year-old has reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam outside Wimbledon (2019 and 2024) for the first time, and he seeks to make his quarter-final debut by defeating one of the pre-tournament favourites.
© Imago
Barring a significant drop-off in the German's performance, getting the better of Zverev will require the left-handed player to raise his level against the second seed, who has yet to drop a set en route to round four.
Although third-round opponent Jacob Fearnley twice cracked the world No. 2's serve - Zverev saved a combined eight break points in rounds one and two - the 27-year-old did likewise five times to seal a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 triumph in two hours and two minutes.
That was the second-longest time spent on court for the two-time Slam finalist, whose round-one victory against French wild card Lucas Pouille went on for two hours and 21 minutes, while his second-round success over Pedro Martinez ended six minutes shy of two hours.
The two-time Aussie Open semi-finalist has barely broken a sweat before facing a seeded opponent for the first time at this year's tournament, but the evidence of a comfortable victory over Humbert on hostile ground in Paris suggests that the 23-time ATP Tour champion has the edge.
While Friday's victory means the second seed advances to his 21st last-16 match at Slams, overtaking Milos Raonic's tally of 20 for players born since 1990, such statistics will count for little if he suffers a shock defeat to Humbert in their fourth match-up on the tour.
Zverev is now four wins away from that first Grand Slam title he desires, but the German No. 1 cannot afford to look that far ahead despite entering Sunday's contest with the Frenchman as the clear favourite.
Tournament so far
Ugo Humbert:
First round: vs. Matteo Gigante 7-6[5] 7-5 6-4
Second round: vs. Hady Habib 6-3 6-4 6-4
Third round: vs. Arthur Fils 4-6 7-5 6-4 1-0 ret
Alexander Zverev:
First round: vs. Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-4 6-4
Second round: vs. Pedro Martinez 6-1 6-4 6-1
Third round: vs. Jacob Fearnley 6-3 6-4 6-4
Head To Head
Paris Masters (2024) - Final: Zverev 6-2 6-2
Paris Masters (2023) - Round of 32: Zverev 6-4 6-7(3) 7-6(5)
Halle (2021) - Round of 16: Humbert 7-6(4) 3-6 6-3
Since losing to Humbert at a grass-court ATP Tour event in Halle in 2021, Zverev has twice defeated the French player on home turf at the Paris Masters, taking a 2-1 lead in their head-to-head.
Four of the French player's 13 top-10 victories were last year - the most he has managed in a season - though his only Grand Slam success against elite opponents came three years ago at Wimbledon, defeating Casper Ruud in the second round.
Zverev has an impressive 75-31 win-loss record against left-handed opponents and enters the fourth round on a 27-match winning sequence against such opponents, last losing to Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler in Davis Cup action in February 2023.
We say: Zverev to win in four sets
Hard to bet against Zverev, whose impressive start to the season has seen him record five straight wins, only dropping a set to Zhang Zhizhen in the United Cup.
Last year's semi-finalist is backed to advance, though Humbert could force a fourth set, but no more than that.
