Tennis Star Bizarrely Stops to Check Phone Mid-Match Before Losing Every Point

Tennis fans were left stunned at the Open Occitanie after French player Ugo Humbert bizarrely stopped to check his phone at a crucial point in the match.

Humbert, 27, is an experienced professional currently ranked as number 38 in the world and recently competed at the Australian Open, where he was knocked out in straight sets in the first round by eventual quarter-finalist Ben Shelton.

Competing in his first tournament since that defeat in Melbourne, Humbert made a promising start - beating Botic van de Zandschulp in the Open Occitanie round of 32 in Montpellier on Tuesday.

But he was later eliminated from the competition in bizarre circumstances against compatriot Adrian Mannarino on Wednesday.

After their match went to a third set tie break, Humbert took a 4-3 lead and looked on course for victory.

But he then chose to stop play on his own serve, walking over to his seat to rifle through a bag before checking his phone.

He stopped to look at the screen for a brief moment before waving his hand in apology to Mannarino and the umpire.

The delay proved more of a disruption for Humbert than his opponent, however, as he went on to concede the next four points - losing the match 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 7-6 (7-4).

Humbert's bizarre actions sparked debate on social media, with some fans questioning his behaviour.

"Ugo Humbert just checked his phone mid match then proceeded to lose back to back serves in the tie breaker...," wrote one fan on X.

Another wrote: "On his own serve too, it's crazy."

However, other fans claimed Humbert was merely turning off his phone to avoid a distraction at a pivotal point in the match.

"His phone rang and he turned it on silent," wrote another fan.

While a second added: "I'm guessing he forgot to switch it off/put it on silent, and it rang in the middle of the tiebreak."

Mannarino has now advanced to the last quarter-finals of the competition, where he will face another French opponent in Arthur Gea on Friday.

Humbert, meanwhile, is next due to compete at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, which gets underway on February 9.