Starting from playing on the clay court to idolizing the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer while growing up, both Ugo Humbert and Lorenzo Sonego have several things in common. But now, in just a few hours from now, they’re set to lock horns against each other in the R16 clash at the Monte Carlo Masters. Who will win this battle at the Court des Princes?

Ugo Humbert has been in a scintillating form this year and has already clinched two titles in this season. He will now look forward to winning his third in Monte Carlo. But standing in his way is the opponent from the other side of the Alps mountain. 

Ugo Humbert vs Lorenzo Sonego: Preview

Ugo Humbert defeated Grigor Dimitrov at the Open 13 finals by a 6-4,6-3 margin to clinch his first title in the 2024 season. It was followed by yet another title-winning run at the Dubai Tennis Championships. He has produced some outstanding performances this year and in this tournament, he defeated Argentina’s Federico Coria by three sets in his first match. After that, he outclassed his Chinese opponent Zhang Zhizhen by 6-1,6-4 to secure his spot in the R16 against Sonego.

Humbert scored 22 winners against Zhang. He hit 4 aces and committed only 2 double faults throughout the match. The Frenchman was very effective on his serve and won 92% of his first serve and 59% of his second serve. Ugo Humbert broke Zhang Zhizhen 3 times after converting 50% of his break points (3/6) in that game. Can he repeat the same dominance against the world number 57?

Lorenzo Sonego’s best performance this year came this month itself at the Grand Prix Hassan II, where he reached the QF of the tournament. In Monte Carlo, he had to fight 2 three-setters to book his spot in the main event. But in his previous match, he took only two sets to defeat the Canadian tennis star, Felix Auger Aliassime by 6-4,7-5.

In that match, he scored 34 winners and served 3 aces. Throughout the match, he committed only 3 double faults. He won 69% of his first serve and 63% of the second serve in the match. Sonego broke Aliassime 3 times, converting 43% of his break point (3/7). Humbert ranks 42 spots above him, so it’s really going to be a tough job for the Italian to outclass the Frenchman. What do their H2H stats say?

Humbert vs Sonego: Head-to-Head

This will be their fifth meeting on the tour. Currently, they are all squared up in the H2H with a 2-2 margin. Ugo Humbert won their first encounter at the ATP Masters 1000 Canada in 2021 by a 6-3,6-4 margin. But then Lorenzo Sonego came back strongly winning their next two meetings on the clay courts. The first was in Monte Carlo itself in 2023, where he defeated the Frenchman by 3-6,7-5,7-5 and the next was at Roland Garros in the same year.

However, in their latest meeting in Beijing in 2023, Ugo Humbert snatched a victory against the Italian by defeating him with a 7-5,3-6,6-0 margin in the R32 of the tournament. Both of them have the same love for clay courts, but it was Sonego who had the last laugh in their previous encounters on the same surface. Will those results reflect on their performances when they step on the clay court next time in Monte Carlo?

Prediction: Humbert to win in three sets

Despite having a favorable record against Ugo Humbert on the clay court, the Frenchman’s current form will always keep a step ahead of the Italian. Humbert has lost only one set in this event and conquered 57% of the points he played. Sonego has also conceded only a single set throughout the tournament so far and has won 50% of the points he played. 

Looking at their win-loss record for this year, Ugo Humbert has managed to put up a 15-5 record so far this season, while Lorenzo Sonego looked pretty much ordinary so far this year with a 5-10 record. Ugo Humbert has previously only managed to reach the first round of this tournament in the last three years. While Sonego reached the second on his previous three occasions. Both of them have improved a lot over these 12 months. But the one who got the taste of two titles this year seems likely to be winning this contest.

READ MORE: Who Is Ugo Humbert’s Coach at the Monte Carlo Masters? Everything You Need to Know about the Former French Pro Jeremy Chardy