Google News Hugo Gaston: I proved at Paris Masters that I'm capable of playing well outside clay
by DZEVAD MESIC
New world No. 67 Hugo Gaston thinks he proved at the Paris Masters that he is capable of playing well outside the clay surface. Gaston 21, made his maiden Masters quarterfinal in Paris before losing to world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev.
At last year's French Open, Gaston stunned three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka before pushing Dominic Thiem into a five-setter in the round-of-16. This year, Gaston ended runner-up to Casper Ruud in the Gstaad final.
Gaston also made four finals on four clay Challenger events this year. At Bercy, Gaston stunned Pablo Carreno Busta and Carlos Alcaraz before falling short to Medvedev. "There are a lot of people who think that I only play well on clay, but with my team we know that I can play very well on hard as well.
I demonstrated it this week. I will continue to work to move up the rankings," Gaston said, as revealed on We Love Tennis.
Gaston advised to draw inspiration from Marcelo Rios
France Davis Cup captain Sebastian Grosjean sees some similarities between Gaston and Rios and he advised the Frenchman to draw inspiration from the former world No.
1. "In my opinion, he has a game where he could draw even more inspiration from Marcelo Rios, an intelligent player who could do all the strikes in tennis. Like him, he is left-handed, and able to take the ball early," Grosjean told L'Equipe.
During his interview with L'Equipe, Grosjean didn't close the door on Gaston being nominated for the Davis Cup Finals. Gaston didn't make the initial list but Ugo Humbert pulled out of the Davis Cup Finals and Grosjean will have to name a replacement.
After beating Gaston in the Paris quarterfinal, Medvedev insistsed he didn't expect to have an easy job. “The way Gaston plays here, I knew I had to play my best tennis,” Medvedev said on court after the match. “That’s a Davis Cup atmosphere. The first set, it’s a miracle. That’s why we love tennis."