Ugo Humbert impressed with a standout performance on the second day of UTS Frankfurt, securing his place in the UTS Grand Final in London this December. The Frenchman, known as “The Commander” in UTS, joins a lineup that already includes Andrey Rublev, Gael Monfils, Alexander Bublik, and Alex de Minaur.

Humbert’s decisive victory came against Dominic Thiem in his final group match, ensuring his progression to the semi-finals—exactly the result he needed to qualify for London. This match marked a significant moment for former World No. 3 Thiem, as he received a fitting farewell, playing the penultimate tournament of his professional career before retiring next week at his home event in Vienna.

“It was beautiful, very emotional—an incredible farewell,” Thiem commented on Saturday. “It meant so much for it to happen in Germany, where I share a special connection with the fans. It was also very important to have the players present; I’ve spent so much time with them over the past ten years.”

On the final day of UTS Frankfurt, the semi-finals are set to unfold: Thanasi Kokkinakis will face Ben Shelton in the opening match, followed by Lorenzo Musetti taking on Ugo Humbert. Shelton, Musetti, and Kokkinakis all need a win to join Humbert in the Grand Final in London. Both Kokkinakis and Musetti have had impressive debuts at the tournament, advancing to the Final Four with three wins each. Their success was hard-earned, as they both came back from two-set deficits on the second day—Kokkinakis defeating Humbert and Musetti overcoming local favorite Jan-Lennard Struff, each winning in Sudden Death.

Denis Shapovalov humorously commented on Kokkinakis’s strong performance after losing to him in Sudden Death: “I didn’t play Kokkinakis; I played Roger [Federer],” he joked, explaining that they call Kokkinakis “Roger” because of how well he plays despite dealing with jet lag.

Shelton also needed Sudden Death to overcome Monfils and reach the UTS semi-finals for the second time in his career, having previously lost to Yibing Wu at UTS Los Angeles last year. “The Mountain” will now battle “Kokki” for a place in the final, needing a win in Frankfurt to secure his spot in London.