Gaston finds some breathing room
Hugo Gaston got his Hangzhou ATP campaign off to a winning start. The Frenchman beat Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro 6-4, 6-4 in the first round. It was a tidy win, and a useful sign he’s rediscovering some form after his US Open exit at the hands of Daniil Medvedev.
That result also keeps Gaston inside the top 100. He’s currently ranked No. 97 in the world, a spot that’s hardly secure but still better than where things stood after a season of peaks and troughs. He’s 25, with a quarter-final run at Roland-Garros in 2022 already on his CV. He knows how much a decent run can matter at this stage of the year.
Try it for $0.99.
Two match points, two misses for Atmane
For Terence Atmane, it all unravelled the hard way. He had led 6-3 against Portugal’s Jaime Faria, the seventh seed and world No. 68. Then came two match points. Then came two misses. Faria saved both, took the second set in a 7-6(9) tie-break, and closed it out 6-4 in the decider.
That’s how thin the margins get at this level. Two points would have sent Atmane through. Instead he heads home empty-handed, though he can say he pushed a player ranked 30 places above him all the way to the end.
No all-French derby after all
Atmane’s defeat has a direct knock-on effect. There will be no all-French last-16 clash. Gaston and Atmane were set to meet in the next round, a match that had sparked plenty of interest as the Asian swing rolled on.
Gaston now carries the French flag alone in Hangzhou. French men’s tennis has more depth than it did a few years back. Getting several players deep into the same draw is one thing. Keeping them all moving forward together is another.
Discover the latest tennis news on our website and app mathodds!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply