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Hugo Gaston Roland Garros ATP 2020
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Home heroics see Frenchman qualify for Next Gen ATP Finals


The Paris Masters crowd was treated to an astounding display from one of their own as a young talent qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals.

It was a true next generation battle in Paris as 21-year-old Frenchman Hugo Gaston took on 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.

Despite his youth, the Spaniard holds the superior ranking of 35th in the world, with Gaston on the cusp of the top 100 at 103rd.

Alcaraz had previously defeated ATP Finals contender and world number nine Jannik Sinner so was in hot form.

But an exuberant Parisian crowd backed their man from the off. A flurry of breaks between the two men eventually saw Gaston up 5-4 on his serve. He then clinched the set 6-4.

A short bathroom break from Alcaraz looked to settle the Spaniard as he raced into a 5-0 lead in the second. But from there everything changed. A hold from Gaston looked to have salvaged some face for the set, but it was far from over.

Alcaraz failed to serve out the set, 5-2 now. Gaston the held for 5-3. From down 0-15 in that game, Gaston proceeded to win 17 consecutive points as the Paris crowd completely derailed Alcaraz.

Three successive games to love for Gaston handed him a chance to serve for the match. He served an ace out wide at 40-15 to complete to comeback from 5-0 down in the set to 7-5.

As a result, Gaston becomes the lowest-ranked Paris Masters quarter-finalist since 2012. That year it was also a Frenchman, world number 121 Michael Llodra.

Moreover, the Frenchman leapfrogs Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the Next Gen ATP Race to qualify for the 21 and under Finals in Milan.

Finally, Gaston will climb at least 36 spots in the ATP rankings following the Masters event, from 103 to 67th.

He next plays defending champion and world number two Daniil Medvedev. Should he somehow pull off the victory there, Gaston would leap another 12 ranking places to 55th.


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