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World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev insisted he knew he would have to play his best tennis against 103rd-ranked Hugo Gaston at the Paris Masters. Medvedev, seeded at No. 2, survived a scare against Gaston as he overcame the Frenchman 7-6 (7) 6-4 to progress into the Paris Masters semifinal.
“The way Gaston plays here, I knew I had to play my best tennis,” Medvedev said on court after the match, per Tennis Majors. “That’s a Davis Cup atmosphere. The first set, it’s a miracle. That’s why we love tennis.
Medvedev saved three consecutive points on Gaston's serve in the 10th game of the first set. On the first set, Medvedev thought Gaston would hit an ace the set would be over. “On one of the set points, he’s serving on the line,” he said, referring to the first of his three set points.
“I think it’s an ace. I make an attempt with my hand, I touch it, it’s in, and then I win the set. That’s tennis," Medvedev explained.
Medvedev hopes the crowd will be on his side in the semifinal
In the semifinal, Medvedev will face either world No.
4 Alexander Zverev or sixth-seeded Casper Ruud. "It's normal that the crowd is against me when I play a French player, no problem. But for the next game I hope you can support me," Medvedev said. Gaston converted the first break point of the match in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead but then missed out on a golden chance to win the opener in the following game.
After saving three set points in the 10th game, Medvedev converted his third set point in the tie-break to steal the opener. Medvedev started the second set with back-to-back breaks but Gaston got one break back in the sixth game. However, Medvedev held on to his second break as he served out for the match in the 10th game of the second set.