World number two Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out of the Paris Masters by 18th-ranked Ugo Humbert of France who swept to a third round victory in three sets on Thursday.
Left-handed Humbert came through 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to register his first win over the French Open and Wimbledon champion having lost twice to the Spanish star earlier in 2024.
It was a testing evening for Alcaraz who was 0-5 down in the first set before he managed to get on the board.
The 21-year-old has endured a rollercoaster second half of the season since his heartbreaking Paris Olympics final loss to Novak Djokovic.
He was knocked out in the second round of the US Open by 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp, defeated top-ranked Jannik Sinner in the Beijing final before a quarter-final exit at the hands of Tomas Machac, the world number 33, at the Shanghai Masters.
Humbert goes on to face Australia’s Jordan Thompson for a place in the Paris Masters semi-finals.
The French number one just edged Alcaraz in winners on Thursday with 28 to 23 with both men committing 38 unforced errors.