The draw gods at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers were obviously keen to see a pair of Frenchmen go head-to-head.
In the largely Francophone city of Montreal, Ugo Humbert plays his good friend Arthur Fils in an appetizing opening round contest. They are the two highest ranked ATP players from their nation, Humbert clocking in at no.15 and Fils not far behind at no. 23.
Here’s a preview of their match, which takes place Wednesday at IGA Stadium.
Fils eager to make Montreal debut
Fils, 20, is looking forward to playing in Montreal for the first time.
“I think I’m going to enjoy it,” he told the ATP. “I’m really looking forward to it. I think the crowd is nice with the French guys here. French No. 1 against French No. 2, it’s funny. But it’s going to be a good match.”
Humbert, a lefty compared to Fils being a right-hander, is also making his Montreal debut. But unlike Fils, Humbert has played at the Masters 1000 in Canada twice previously, in Toronto. Both times he won a round before exiting to a Top 10 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, then Taylor Fritz.
Only one Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, has ever won the Canadian crown. He did it in Toronto ten years ago and in spectacular fashion knocking off the likes of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.
Humbert unbeaten in their duels
The 26-year-old Humbert has beaten his Olympic doubles partner in all three of their matches, including on grass in the Netherlands in June.
On that occasion, Humbert didn’t get broken and conceded just 14 points on serve in two sets. Does being a lefty aid Humbert? Fils sports a 2-5 record against left-handers ranked inside the Top 100. Considerably more right-handers feature on the Tour, with Humbert being the lone lefty inside the Top 20.
Flourishing on the grass
Humbert and Fils were part of the French charge at Wimbledon last month. They were two of the three that made the second week, joined by the big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Fils fresh off biggest title
Fils notched his biggest title in Hamburg, an ATP 500 tournament, last month. In the final, he outlasted home favourite Alexander Zverev in a grueling contest. It was even more remarkable since Fils made a late decision to compete in Germany.
“I was on holiday with friends and my coach told me, ‘I think it’s a good idea to play in Hamburg. You might have a good opportunity to do a great result,’” Fils recounted. “I said, ‘Okay, whatever, if you want.’ But I was still on holidays. I got to Hamburg, not really preparation, nothing.”
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