GATINEAU, March 5, 2018
Ugo Humbert defeated Strong Kirchheimer to capture the singles title on Sunday at the 11th edition of the Gatineau Futures presented by the Turpin Group, National Bank Financial. The ITF Pro Circuit tournament offers $25, 000 in total prize money and was held from February 24 to March 4, 2018 at the Sporthèque in Gatineau.
Sunday’s final was a match-up between two young guns. 22-year-old US-American Strong Kirchheimer, who came through the qualifying round, faced the tough task of opposing 19-year-old Ugo Humbert of France, the tournament’s sixth seed. One of the most consistent players on serve all week, Humbert found himself in trouble early on, committing two double faults in his opening service game. The Frenchman quickly regained composure and got a late break to take the first set.
In between sets, Canadian line judge Chris Dyer, who was participating in his last tournament this week in Gatineau, was honoured for his 25 years of service by Tennis Canada.
Humbert picked up where he left off in the second set, this time going up an early break. He then proceeded to take control of the match and did not lose a game in the set before taking the match 6-4, 6-0 in one hour and seven minutes. This is Humbert’s second title in consecutive tournaments. He won the ITF Futures event in Bellevue, Switzerland, earlier in February. The Frenchman did not drop a set all tournament and totalled 37 aces throughout the week.
After the match, the finalist Kichheimer shared kind words with the packed crowd. “This is definitely one of the best tournament’s that I have played in. It’s been a really fun week in Gatineau. I would also like to congratulate Ugo for his fantastic tournament.”
Prior to Sunday’s final, Kirchheimer had played two more matches and spent over three hours more on court than his opponent. The American was playing n his first career final on the professional tour and was the first player to come through qualifications to make the final at the Gatineau Futures.
The American’s accomplishments this week in Gatineau did not go unnoticed by his opponent. “Congratulations to Strong for such a great week of tennis. He came through the qualification round and has played a lot of tennis. I would also like to thank the organising committee for the wonderful tournament and I look forward to continuing my success in Sherbrooke next week and hopefully back I Gatineau this summer,” said Sunday’s champion Humbert.
The Gatineau Futures presented by the Turpin Group, National Bank Financial, was the first in a series of three tournaments that will be played in Quebec during the months of February and March. The event will be followed by the Sherbrooke Futures and the Drummondville National Bank Challenger.
