Dubai Tennis Championships 2024: Daniil Medvedev vs Ugo Humbert preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (1) Daniil Medvedev vs (5) Ugo Humbert
Date: March 1, 2024
Tournament: Dubai Tennis Championships 2024
Round: Semifinal
Venue: Aviation Club Tennis Centre, Dubai
Category: ATP 500
Surface: Outdoor Hardcourt
Prize money: $2,941,785
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN3
Daniil Medvedev vs Ugo Humbert preview
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev will take on fifth seed Ugo Humbert in the semifinals of the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships on Friday.
Medvedev kicked off his title defense with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Alexander Shevchenko. He then rallied from a set down to beat Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, and set up a quarterfinal date with Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
The two were on even footing at the start of the match but Medvedev bagged four games in a row from 2-2 to capture the first set. He carried the momentum into the second set as well, jumping to a 4-0 lead thanks to a double break.
Davidovich Fokina halted his eight-game losing skid with a break of serve and followed it up with a service hold to make it 4-2. But he couldn't close the gap completely as Medvedev still had a break advantage which he maintained for a 6-2, 6-3 win.
Humbert staged a comeback to defeat Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in his opener and then defeated Andy Murray 6-2, 6-4 in the second round. He was up against third seed Hubert Hurkacz for a spot in the last four.
Humbert went down an early break in the first set and didn't recover after that as it quickly slipped out of his grasp. The pair traded service breaks at the start of the second set but remained steady on serve after that.
Humbert then saved three match points in the ensuing tie-break to snatch the set from Hurkacz. The Frenchman broke his opponent's serve twice in the decider to complete a 3-6, 7-6 (8), 6-3 comeback win.
Daniil Medvedev vs Ugo Humbert head-to-head
Humbert leads Medvedev 2-1 in the head-to-head. The Russian won their most recent encounter at the 2023 China Open in three sets.
Daniil Medvedev vs Ugo Humbert odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Daniil Medvedev vs Ugo Humbert prediction
Humbert kept his composure to eke out a tough win after saving multiple match points against Hurkacz. He played a lot better in the third set and dictated the play more often in the decider.
Medvedev, on the other hand, didn't face much trouble against Davidovich Fokina. However, he has struggled against Humbert a fair bit. After losing their first couple of matches, the Russian logged his first win over his younger rival in Beijing last year.
Medvedev's serving stats this week are a bit underwhelming compared to what he has recorded in the past. But he's still an excellent returner and tough to outplay in baseline duels.
Humbert has been in decent form this year and has it in him to make this a challenging contest. However, Medvedev's overall consistency still makes him the favorite in this match-up.
Pick: Daniil Medvedev to win in three sets.