[Aileen]

Andy now plays Ugo Humbert who defeated Gael Monfils 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in round 1.  The two have met twice before - the SF of the 2019 European Open and R1 of the 2021 Moselle Open, with Andy winning on both occasions after losing the first set.

25 year old Humbert, who plays lefthanded,  is currently at a career high ranking of No. 18, achieved on 12th February.  A massive dip in form in 2022 saw his ranking drop to No. 157, but by the end of last year he'd reached No. 20.  He has 7 Challenger titles and 5 ATP Tour titles, the last being won at the Open 13 Provence this year when he defeated the defending champion Hubert Hurkacz in the SF before defeating Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-3 in the final.  He followed this with a R1 loss to Emil Ruusuvuori in Rotterdam and a R2 loss to Gael Monfils in Doha. 

Humbert is an offensive player who excels at the net and enjoys coming forward to finish points.  His favourite and most powerful shot is his backhand, and his preferred surface is hard.

[marathonarthur]

I have this feeling that this match will be a crowd pleaser if Andy is in a mood to enjoy the contest. I did not get to watch the match with Monfils so not certain if Ugo is 'on-song' this week.

I just want Andy to feel he is at a similar level so enjoy it.

[merlynne]

Just heard Andy speak on radio 4 this morning ,
lovely interview . Speaking about the family support , especially his wife Kim. Sharing his time with his 4 children !!! Playtime!!  Wishing him all the best in his future games . ❤️❤️❤️

[Aileen]

GO ANDY!!

[counter_ puncher]

Humbert making poor Andy run, piling up the pressure right from the go. And Andy seems to be playing without a first serve.

[Aileen]

Cmon Andy, get on top of this guy!

[Aileen]

Finally another hold.  5-2

[Apollo]

Hold serve Andy