The pair trade breaks, *4-3

And Ward breaks again to advance!

Suboptimal service game from OO  and it is GSM to Dino.  The standard was no better than average.  OO was not a happy bunny at the end of the match, smashing a ball away and kicking his bag.  He was clearly unhappy with his performance.   Credit to James though, he is finding a way to win close matches.  And he can get down to the beach for a swim and an ice cream!

QF:   James Ward WR 247 defeated Oscar Otte (GER) WR 183 by 7-6(7) 3-6 6-3 

*****

SF:  James Ward WR 247 vs (5) Ugo Humbert (FRA) WR 139 (= CH)

It might be a bit wimpy, as in I don't really know, but I feel that Ugo Humbert shows the benefit of simply having a large stable of pretty good players - one or two (or several) will break through, having a lightbulb moment if you will, without anyone really knowing why it's that particular guy, rather than the other guy.

Ugo is only just 20 and is referred to in France as this summer's 'tube' - which makes English people smile but means this summer's big hit (like a pop song). (Le Monde also referred to him recently as 'the only glimmer of light in the gloom of French tennis' and 'the revelation of a French tennis in crisis').

He was a decent junior (JWR 18) but, as you say, stevemcqueen, in adults he's sort of come from nowhere this summer. Moutet is the one who's had all the media attention. Humbert was given a wildcard into qualis at RG but lost in QR1. Then made the semis in a couple of futures and suddenly came alight in the Challengers, (and then came through qualis and R1 at the US Open). He started the year at WR 378 and is now about 139.

He's quite tall, and a rangy, gangly sort of player, left-handed. (For pure gossip interest value, I think he's going out with Tessah Andrianjafitrimo). He says it's his physique that he's been working on and is now paying dividends - he says he was too skinny and he's had to try and bulk out and muscle up a bit - you won't really notice it (bless, he's like a stick) but it's common for young lads to be gangly and have to wait a while for their bodies to grow into their game. He says he has a lot or work still to do in that regard and he's not wrong (still only 71kg for 1.88m supposedly !!!)

He used to be based at INSEP (the training centre in Paris for sports teachers and high-performance athletes), (before that at the CREPS at Poitiers, I think, and also after at the CNE - the NTC equivalent - for a short while). Luckily he has a coach who's really pushed the FFT to back him and give him an individualised programme - supposedly put the FFT on the spot, saying back Ugo or I'm resigning and we're going private.

The guy's known for being very sweet, well-educated, gentlemanly (he takes his piano with him and plays a lot), and his coach says he's trying to knock this out of him - on court, at least

Currently on serve at 5-5* 1st set, pretty close so far..

Levelled the breaks but just been broken again and Humbert will serve for it.

6-7(3) 4-5*