Article
03 Oct 2020
Gaston's Roland Garros run a testament to his tennis journey
03 Oct 2020
Hugo Gaston may have seemingly burst onto the Grand Slam scene from relative obscurity at Roland Garros, but the 20-year-old Frenchman has long been putting in the hard yards on the ITF scene.
The world No. 239 followed his wins over Maxime Janvier and Yoshihito Nishioka by stunning 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka in five sets to become the lowest-ranked player to reach the round of 16 in the men’s singles at Roland Garros in 18 years.
Not since fellow Frenchman Arnaud di Pasquale made the same stage in Paris in 2002 had a player achieved the feat with such a low ranking.
US Open champion and clay court aficionado Dominic Thiem ultimately ended his stunning run in five sets in round four, but the youngster's performances throughout the tournament have certainly left an imprint.
US Open champion and clay court aficionado Dominic Thiem ultimately ended his stunning run in five sets in round four, but the youngster's performances throughout the tournament have certainly left an imprint.
While his breakthrough run might have come as a surprise to some, Gaston certainly didn't pitch up in Paris without a strong foundation in the game.
Gaston, who learned to play tennis aged two at a Toulouse tennis club where his father was President, went on to become the junior world No. 2 in 2018, winning prestigious junior titles at the Grade A Orange Bowl in 2017 and a gold medal at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires the following year.
Gaston made a seamless transition from junior to professional level, collecting four titles in his first full season on the ITF World Tennis Tour in 2019.
While he favours clay, and won his first pro singles title on the surface on Italian soil at M25 Santa Marghertia Di Pula, his other three tournament triumphs at professional level came on hard courts – in the USA at M25 Houston and M25 Norman, and on French soil at M25+H Rodez.
Despite his solid grounding, Gaston had never won a Tour-level match prior to his appearance at Roland Garros. He fell in the first round on his Tour-level debut as a wild card at the Australian Open this year, and as a wild card at 2018 Marseille, and admits he is pinching himself just to be playing on the red clay of Roland Garros.
“For me to play in Paris, it's fantastic,” said Gaston. “I try to take the pleasure every minute, every time. For the moment it’s a dream.
"Now I play the French Open. Before I was always watching this [event] on TV. Today I can play in these courts, so it's amazing for me.
"I try to go in the court to believe I can win this match, with my coaches,” he said. “I know it's possible. It's difficult. But when I'm going in the court, for sure I try to win the match because I want to play tennis and more games, more matches.”