Rolex Paris Masters – Hugo Gaston qualified in 8th at Bercy after his victory against Pablo Carreño Busta (6-7, 6-4, 7-5)

Imp Hugo Gaston is back. A little over a year after his explosion at Roland Garros 2020, the Toulousain has lived a busy year, made of ups and downs, but he has found a way to re-point the tip of his nose when it counts. Opposed to metronome Pablo Carreño Busta in the 2nd round of the Rolex Paris Masters 2021, the Frenchman, 103rd in the world, created a new small feat in an important meeting by exiting the No. 12 seed in the tournament after a knife match won best of three sets (6-7, 6-4, 7-5). It took 2h32 of combat for the hope of French tennis to go through a mouse hole. He will face the winner of the 100% NextGen clash between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

It was a wink match for Hugo Gaston. A year ago, the hero of RG 2020 inherited a wild card for the main draw from Bercy and he faced a certain Pablo Carreño Busta for his big debut in the other Parisian tournament. Leached, the left-hander had completely missed out against the Spaniard, much too solid at the time. A year later, and with a great end to the season and a passage through qualifying, Gaston won the reunion match. Not without pain, not without doubting. But by playing his hybrid tennis. A tennis that he had to adapt to a surface like hard. By offering little rhythm and breaking the game, he managed to derail the Asturian machine, less well oiled than usual.

Gaston carried by his service

The last act was not easy for the Habs. He raced ahead, with the break in his pocket, before drawing on one of his rare failed service games of the match, he who conceded only six break points in this meeting (for a single break conceded ). At 3-1 in his favor, in the wake of his break, Gaston was totally wallowed: two forehand fouls and two badly typed amortizations and countered by PCB got the better of his advantage. It was necessary to set out again in reconquest. But the pocket player has not lost his common thread.

Like the match, the second part of the last act was tight. It was a game of chess. Driven by his serve, Gaston was the most comfortable leading the exchange and dictating the tempo. It is besides a reliable service which missed the Spaniard on the whole as well as big tactical gaps. Falling into the trap of the game, with a master in the field, was not the best decision of the 17th in the world. Dropped by his first ball, and drawn to the middle of the court by Gaston at 5-6, the Asturian surrendered, beaten by better than him over all three innings. Galvanized by the Parisian public, his engine – and to whom he says “thank you” while writing on the camera – Gaston celebrated this new landmark victory as it should. This victory did him a lot of good. And she did us a lot of good.