Paris succeeds him, but the great adventure must nevertheless have ended for Hugo Gaston at Bercy: Daniil Medvedev extinguished, Friday, November 5, the ardor of the French in the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 disputed in the capital where Gaston reached the round of 16 at Roland Garros, in 2020.
” I felt really good on the pitch, analyzed the French after the defeat on Friday. There is a bit of disappointment, obviously, because I am a competitor, I would have liked to win, but there is still a lot of pride. “
Beaten in two sets 7-6 (9/7), 6-4, Hugo Gaston made his opponent suffer in the evening. “I knew I had to show my best. It was not easy and in addition, the atmosphere was like in Davis Cup ”, commented Medvedev.
“I’m very happy to have won, especially the first set … on a miracle”, he added before telling how, while the 103e world had three set points on his serve at 5-4, the Russian got away with it.
“At 40-0, he is on fire, he almost has the set won. He serves the T, he puts the ball on the line. I thought he pulled an ace, but I reach out just to try and hit the ball. I touch it, I put it in… and I win the set. This is tennis! “, narrated the world number 2.
“I’m going to need care”
For his part, the 21-year-old Toulousain confided that this streak was “The only time when [il] could have some regrets about this match “.
“Obviously, I have to do better. It pays off against the very best players in the world, the slightest mistake pays off in cash. That’s what happened “, he continued.
In the second round, Gaston who was in his sixth game of the tournament after the two qualifying rounds and two magnificent victories against the 17e global Pablo Carreño then to 35e Carlos alcaraz, physically declined and the defending champion won more easily… by score. Because he still had to work physically to eliminate a player who “Wear out the legs”.
“From the first games he started to do bumps and even if he sometimes misses them, you sprint forward and do thirty in 1 h 45 is not easy. I’m gonna need some care! “, commented with humor the winner of the last US Open.
Despite the noisy support of a packed Bercy hall and all won over to his cause, the young Frenchman ended up giving in, but enjoyed his week in Paris. “It was amazing on the pitch to hear his name like that, he explained. It’s in an atmosphere like that that I like to play, that’s also why I play tennis. “
“It was a good atmosphere. It was against me and that’s normal, I was playing against a Frenchman. Now I hope the next game is for me! “Medvedev told the audience, earning a standing ovation. There is indeed a chance that the public will be in his favor on Saturday because the French-speaking Russian will face the German Alexander Zverev (4e) who generally has little popular support, and who eliminated the Norwegian Casper Ruud (8e) in two sets (7-5, 6-4).
Djokovic in search of a new record
At the top of the table, the semi-final will pit world number 1 Novak Djokovic against Pole Hubert Hurkacz (10e). “He plays well, but I play well too”, warned the Serbian to the address of his future opponent, after beating the American Taylor Fritz (26e) in 1 h 13 of play (6-4, 6-3)
Sure enough, Hurkacz has been playing well lately. At 24, the striker of Roger Federer, this summer, in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, won in April in Miami his first Masters 1000 and reached the quarterfinals at the Masters 1000 of Indian Wells just before coming to Paris.
By qualifying for the semi-finals at Bercy, he won the eighth and last ticket for the end-of-year Masters in Turin (November 14-21) where he will join Djokovic, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Rublev, Berrettini and Ruud.
For this, the Pole dismissed, Friday, the Australian James Duckworth (55e) in three sets (6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 7-5). “It was not easy to play him. Of course, in the back of my mind, I had the pressure to have to win today [pour se qualifier aux Masters]. It was a little bit of extra pressure. But that’s also what pushed me to do my best ”, he commented.
Djokovic is counting on this joy to make his own task easier: “I hope he’s happy and he’s done with this tournament! “, joked the Serbian who is trying to finish the year number one in the world for the seventh time, and thus become the sole record holder, Pete Sampras having done so six times.
“This is the main reason why I am here”, agreed “Nole”. “I hope to make sure this week, but if not, I will have one chance in Turin”, he ambitioned.