Ugo Humbert was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo ATP 500 tournament by Jiri Lehecka, who will now face Daniel Vallejo in the semifinals. This year’s ATP 500 in Tokyo has seen three French players reach the quarterfinals: Arthur Fils, Kyrian Jacquet, and Humbert. However, Humbert, ranked 32nd in the world, was defeated by Lehecka, who is ranked 23rd, with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 after 2 hours and 9 minutes of play. Humbert had returned to competition this week after a break due to back pain and was the only French player to be eliminated in the quarterfinals. The match was tightly contested in the first set, with Humbert saving three break points. He fought hard to keep the set alive, even winning a crucial point on his return shot. However, Lehecka, known for his powerful play, began to dominate. He broke Humbert’s serve at 2-2 in the second set, leveling the match at one set all. A similar pattern repeated in the third set, where Lehecka broke Humbert again at 2-2, ultimately securing the victory. Throughout the match, Humbert tried to motivate himself by talking to himself on his chair after each point he won, but it was not enough to turn the tide. Lehecka remained nearly unbreakable on his serve, losing only two points on his service games after the break. He clinched the match on his first match point at 5-4, securing a place in the semifinals. There, he will face Daniel Vallejo, a 56th-ranked player from Paraguay, who defeated Matteo Berrettini with a score of 7-6, 6-1 in 1 hour and 47 minutes. Humbert, who was eliminated in the first round last year, will remain ranked 32nd in the next ATP rankings. He is set to return to the Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai, where he previously fell in the round of 16 in 2025.