French Open 2020: It’s victor Hugo as Gaston steals the show by stunning Wawrinka
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem stayed on course for a semi-final clash, but it was a little-known French player who thrilled Roland Garros.
Hugo Gaston was the toast of Roland Garros as the young Frenchman announced himself to the tennis world by sinking former champion Stan Wawrinka.
Ranked a lowly 239th in the world, Toulouse-born Gaston was tackling a player who has reached two French Open finals and eyeing a third trip to the title match.
Left-hander Gaston had other ideas though, and in a third-round contest that was halted by rain for over two hours in the third set, he scored a 2-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-0 over the illustrious Swiss.
That victory came on a Friday when 12-time champion Rafael Nadal produced what he described as his best tennis so in his favourite grand slam, as he and Dominic Thiem remained on course for a semi-final showdown.
Lorenzo Sonego won an epic third set tie-break against Taylor Fritz, taking it 19-17 to reach the fourth round of a major for the first time, while his fellow Italian Jannik Sinner and American Sebastian Korda also entered previously uncharted territory in their careers.
You go, Hugo!
World No. 239 wildcard Hugo Gaston stuns No. 16 Stan Wawrinka 2-6 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-0 to push into the sweet 16.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/aU1tmBFOjT
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 2, 2020
GASTON’S BIG MOMENT
Already the last French player standing in the men’s singles, the prospect of Gaston ending Wawrinka’s hopes looked slim, with the three-time grand slam winner having looked sharp in the first two rounds, beating Andy Murray and the useful German Dominik Koepfer.
Yet Gaston, a wildcard entry who only turned 20 last Saturday, gave French tennis a major shot in the arm with a terrific performance.
He and Wawrinka had to retreat to the locker room at 2-2 in the third set, with the match finely poised, and an immediate break on the resumption from Gaston spoke volumes for his focus.
The deciding set was strangely one-sided, and Gaston, who benefited from 74 unforced errors from the Wawrinka racket, was able to celebrate the greatest moment of his fledgling career.
He said afterwards: “It’s crazy what’s happening. I tried to play my game, I went on the court to win.”
Addressing the small crowd on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, he added: “I didn’t necessarily think I would win, but you pushed me. Thank you all.”
On the prospect of facing Thiem, Gaston said: “It’s going to be a crazy experience. I will do everything to win too.”
The ATP revealed Gaston is the lowest-ranked player to reach the fourth round of the French Open since Arnaud Di Pasquale in 2002 achieved the feat when 283rd in the world.
THIEM IN RUUD HEALTH
Thiem, the third seed, dashed to a 6-4 6-3 6-1 win against Norway’s Casper Ruud. It was a case of the Austrian making light work of what looked a tricky task against a player who reached semi-finals in Rome and Hamburg before coming to Paris.
He got the job done in two and a quarter hours, and at that stage would have been expecting to face Wawrinka in the fourth round.
Thiem will no doubt do his homework on Gaston before they play, with the recently crowned US Open champion targeting a third visit to the French Open final, having been runner-up in each of the last two years.
“Of course I’m starting to feel all the last weeks physically, also emotionally,” Thiem said. “I really love this tournament, and I would love to go deep to play well. I’ll do everything to get a good recovery.”
Thiem vs. Ruud
Match Clips
Bad Shots
this folder is empty#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/soYslYtDTh— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 2, 2020
RAFA BEGINNING TO PURR
A 96th match win at Roland Garros from Nadal came moments after Gaston’s thunder-stealing moment.
He swept away the hopes of Italian Stefano Travaglia, a 6-1 6-4 6-0 victory emphasising the form Nadal is running into, having delayed his post-lockdown return to action and skipped the US Open.
Next for Nadal is Korda, and the son of former French Open runner-up Petr Korda revealed that as a youngster he had a pet cat Rafa, named after the Spanish great.
“That says a lot about how much I love the guy,” Korda said.
Responding to that bombshell, Nadal said: “Well, that means that I have been on the TV for such a long time, that’s the main thing. The same like when I was a kid, I was watching Sampras, Agassi, Carlos Moya.
“Another negative thing is that it means I’m 34. That’s another point that is not beautiful. But I’m happy to hear that. I know he’s playing great. He’s a very young kid with a lot of power. I think he has an amazing future – hopefully not yet.”
