It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him at such a party. Hugo Gaston ignited the Belgian public Thursday in Antwerp with points which he has the secret to overthrowing the German Jan-Lennard Struff, 27th player in the world. The French left-hander, just in the Top 100 this week (96th), had the last word after a beautiful and long fight (5-7, 7-6, 7-6) of almost three hours (2h49 exactly ), discarding three match points in the final deciding game. For his fourth quarter-final of the season, he will face Maximilian Marterer who took out Richard Gasquet earlier in the week.
Much more often on the Challenger circuit this season, he was a little forgotten, especially after the unfortunate episode of the ball thrown in the middle in Madrid which earned him a fine. But Hugo Gaston is being talked about again this week in Antwerp, and positively. Because this Thursday, he recalled how talented a player he was when his legs and confidence were there. Thanks to great perseverance, he was able to respond to the blows of Jan-Lennard Struff until the end to finally snatch the decision 13 points to 11 in the tie-break of the third act.
The Gaston magic has worked
However, Gaston could have given up after losing the first set: he was the first to find the fault on the restart, before being caught and finally overtaken. But he remained in the fight, more than ever after equalizing at one set everywhere. Resisting in the final act – he saved three break points without obtaining any (12 dismissed out of 16 conceded in total!) – he started the final decisive game by winning a magical point à la Gaston. A frantic run in defense, an imbalance and a final ball that left his opponent standing.
In this form, the conclusion had to be beautiful. It was: three match points saved before concluding on his 4th opportunity by boarding behind his left-handed forehand. This first victory in a Top 50 for more than a year could well revive him, while Bercy, where he shone two years ago, is fast approaching.
Tsitsipas did not fall into the trap
The number 1 seed will be there for the quarter-finals. This Thursday evening, Stefanos Tsitsipas got the better of Botic van de Zandschulp (7-5, 6-3) after 1h37 of play. The first set was not easy for the Greek. Broken at 1-1, the current seventh player in the world chased the score to finally regain the Dutchman’s service at 4-3. In the following game, the current 67th in the ATP missed two break points. Then Stefanos Tsitsipas stepped on the accelerator.
Indeed, the Greek made the break again at the best of times, that is to say at 6-5. With the first set in his pocket, the finalist of Roland-Garros 2021, author of 6 aces and a good ratio of points scored on his first ball (75%) over the entire match, broke free and further dominated the proceedings in the second round. In the next round, he will face Dominic Thiem or Yannick Hanfmann.