In Acapulco and Dubai, Alex de Minaur and Ugo Humbert made themselves players to watch this spring

There are two ways to compliment an opponent on a good shot or a well-played point. You can flash them a quick thumbs up as you run past, or you can take an extra second and clap your hand against your racquet strings. If it’s something really spectacular, like a jaw-dropper of a Carlos Alcaraz passing shot, you might hold your racquet up above your head while you do.

Near the end of the Acapulco final on Saturday, Casper Ruud found a new way to express his appreciation for what an adversary had just done to him. After Alex de Minaur won a point in their final by hot-stepping his way all over the court—from side to side and then front to back—a smiling Ruud raised his hand and moved his first two fingers back and forth, in imitation of de Minaur’s fast feet.

It was an appropriate tribute to the way de Minaur won that point, and his second straight Acapulco title, 6-3, 6-4, over Ruud. It wasn’t just the Australian’s speed on defense that was applause-worthy; it was the way he moved inside the baseline, cut off angles, took the ball early, and stormed the net that made the difference in the match. Despite his relatively slight frame, de Minaur makes quickness into an imposing force by seemingly being everywhere at once.

“I came into Mexico not feeling my best and just kept on telling myself to keep giving myself chances,” said de Minaur, who beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals. “I think today I played my best match of the tournament, so I’m extremely happy with that.”

De Minaur has been one of the fastest starters of 2024. He’s moved into the Top 10 for the first time at age 25, and now his first title of the season.

“Acapulco has been a very good place to me for my tennis career,” de Minaur said. “The first time I won a 500, and the first time I’ve defended a title in my career. I feel at home here, and it’s a great place to be.”

From a stats perspective, two sets of numbers tell the story of his win on Saturday. Despite lacking Ruud’s power from the baseline, de Minaur hit 20 more winners (28 to 8), and was 23 of 29 at net, compared to Ruud’s five of 17.

If there was one point that told that story, it came with Ruud serving at 3-3 in the third, down break point. Ruud wound up and fired a big forehand crosscourt, which de Minaur returned in his customary fashion: by sprinting hard to his right and stabbing the ball back. This is something the Aussie has always been able to do. What he did next, though, was something new. Two shots later, de Minaur stepped into a forehand and drilled it a foot inside the sideline for a winner to break serve

“That could be the knockout blow,” one TV commentator said. She was right. Don’t be surprised if we see more of them from de Minaur as 2024 swings into high gear.

Ugo Humbert, it seems, has a new favorite event on the ATP Tour.

“It was the first time I played this tournament, this amazing tournament,” the 25-year-old Frenchman said after winning the title in Dubai on Saturday.

Amazing, indeed. The 18th-ranked Humbert had the debut week of a lifetime, beating Gael Monfils, Andy Murray, Hubert Hurkacz, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik in succession. Each time, Humbert was facing a better-known opponent. Each time, he was the more proactive ball-striker and the more bull-headed competitor.

How many fist-pumps is too many? There didn’t seem to be a limit for Humbert this week. He raised his first to celebrate winning shots, service holds, service breaks, and also to pump himself after losing games and sets. He played with a sense of desperation that his more talented opponents couldn’t match. That was especially true in his three-set quarterfinal win over Hurkacz, who had three match points in a second-set tiebreaker that Humbert finally won 10-8.

“I was really calm from the beginning to the end,” Humbert said after the final. “I had a really good mindset. I stayed really positive even if I did some errors.”

Humbert’s shotmaking talent has always been obvious. He has a biting lefty serve, and he can rifle flat winners with his forehand or two-handed backhand. He’s also adept at quick-hands, cat-and-mouse rallies. In the final, he won several important points by shortening his forehand backswing and delicately blocking the ball at Bublik’s feet. Humbert hasn’t been more successful in the past in part because his shots are low margin. His flat drives, especially from the backhand side, require impeccable timing, and the timing isn’t always there when he needs it.

It looked for a moment that it wouldn’t be there when he served for the title at 5-3 in the second set. Humbert suddenly tightened up and began sending easy forehands well long or into the net. Bublik, sensing his nerves, didn’t try to hide his pleasure in the moment, grinning between points and trying to get the crowd to make more noise. But this time Humbert managed to regain his footing, and his timing. He powered his way past a break point, and on to this fifth career title.

“I played wonderful tennis from the first round to the final,” said Humbert, who will crack the Top 15 as he heads to Indian Wells this week. “I will try to bring everything I can to my next tournament.”