Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 Final: Alexander Bublik vs Ugo Humbert preview, head-to-head, prediction, live streaming

Published at :March 2, 2024 at 3:01 PM

Modified at :March 2, 2024 at 3:01 PM

(Courtesy : X)

This will be the first meeting between both players.

The Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 final will witness a new champion on Saturday, as Alexander Bublik and Ugo Humbert face-off in their first final at the ATP 500 event. Both players have reached this stage after overcoming some tough opponents and unexpected twists in the semifinals.

Bublik, the World No. 23 from Kazakhstan, advanced to the final after a dramatic clash with Andrey Rublev, the second seed and World No. 5 from Russia. The match ended in a shocking default for Rublev, who lost his temper and verbally abused a line judge in the final set.

The semifinal was a tense and tight affair, with both players exchanging breaks and tiebreaks in the first two sets. Rublev seemed to have the edge in the third set, as he led 5-3 and served for the match. However, Bublik fought back and broke him twice to take a 6-5 lead.

That’s when things went downhill for Rublev, who vented his frustration on a line judge after a close call. The chair umpire, who spoke Russian, heard him utter an obscenity and issued him a code violation. Since Rublev had already received a warning earlier in the match, this resulted in an automatic default and a 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-5 win for Bublik.

The match was marred by several heated exchanges between the players and the umpire, who also had to intervene to calm down the crowd. Bublik, who is known for his unconventional and entertaining style of play, was not happy with the way the match ended and apologized to Rublev at the net.

In contrast, the other semifinal was a more straightforward and civil affair, as Ugo Humbert, the World No. 18 from France, defeated Daniil Medvedev, the defending champion and World No. 4 from Russia, in straight sets.

The Frenchman dispatched the defending champion without much fanfare, winning 7-5, 6-3 on debut in 1 hour, 50 minutes. Medvedev failed to crack the Ugo Humbert riddle and is now 1-3 in their head-to-head after the Dubai face-off

Alexander Bublik vs Ugo Humbert Preview

Humbert holds a 12-3 record in the season, including the win on home turf in Marseille. The Frenchman took down veteran Scot Andy Murray, fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz and top seed Daniil Medvedev to earn a chance at a second title this season. The World No. 18 won the ATP 250 event in Marseille in the first week of February. Ugo Humbert has a flawless record in finals at 5-0 since turning pro in 2016.

Bublik is 13-4 in 2024 and has won four of the six finals he has played in. The Kazakh player bounced back from his first-round loss at the Australian Open to India’s Sumit Nagal by claiming the trophy at Montpellier. He then reached the quarterfinals in Doha, losing to Alexei Popyrin in straight sets. Bublik also had a tough draw in Dubai, where he defeated second seed Andrey Rublev and sixth seed Denis Shapovalov en route to the final.

Both players are sitting pretty in the race to Turin after booking spots in the final in Dubai. Humbert, having climbed 10 spots, is in eighth position. Bublik has jumped seven spots, coming in at No. 10 and two spots behind Humbert. The final will be a clash of styles and personalities, as the flamboyant Bublik will try to unsettle the composed Humbert with his unpredictable shots and antics. It will be their first meeting on the ATP Tour and both will be eager to add another trophy to their collection.

Head-to-head records

Matches – 0

Alexander Bublik – 0

Ugo Humbert – 0

The duo are in uncharted territory as they will play each other for the first time in the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships final. Their fortunes on the court have taken a similar trajectory this season. Both players are ranked in the top 20 and will be looking to hold aloft the second trophy of the season when Saturday’s final wraps up.

Where and how to watch the live streaming and TV broadcast of Alexander Bublik vs Ugo Humbert, Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 final in India?

The Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 will be live telecast on Eursoport and will be streamed on Tennis TV for fans in India. The final is slated to begin at 8:30 PM (IST) on Saturday, 2nd March 2024.

Prediction

Humbert has a slight edge over Bublik in terms of hard-court performance and overall win percentage. However, Bublik has shown remarkable resilience and fighting spirit, especially after losing the first set. Humbert, on the other hand, has struggled to recover from a slow start and has lost two of his three matches after dropping the opening set.

Therefore, the key for Humbert is to start strong and take the first set, which will boost his confidence and put pressure on Bublik. Humbert has won seven of his eight matches after winning the first set and has only lost one tie-break in those matches. Bublik, meanwhile, has only won three of his seven matches after winning the first set and has lost four tie-breaks in those matches.

Humbert has also shown more mental toughness and composure in tight situations, saving 70.6% of the break points he faced and converting 43.8% of his break points. Bublik has saved 64.3% of the break points he faced, but has only converted 35.7% of his break points.

The two players have never met before, but their styles are very different. Humbert is a left-handed baseliner who relies on his solid groundstrokes and serve, while Bublik is a right-handed serve-and-volleyer who likes to mix up his game with drop shots, slices and underarm serves. Humbert will have to deal with Bublik’s unpredictability and variety, while Bublik will have to cope with Humbert’s consistency and power.

Result: Ugo Humbert to win in straight sets

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