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It was a double celebration for Frenchman Hugo Gaston on Court Suzanne-Lenglen after he won a thrilling five-setter against Alex de Minaur on Tuesday. Moments after Gaston won his first-round match, a packed crowd on the iconic court joined him in wishing his girlfriend, Laetitia, on her birthday.
During his post-match on-court interview, the local favorite pointed towards his girlfriend, who was in the players' box, and informed everyone in attendance that she was celebrating her birthday.
In a lovely moment, he then began to sing for her and the happy fans on Court Suzanne-Lenglen made Laetitia's day even more special by singing along.
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The unseeded player was on the backfoot early in the match as De Minaur raced to a 6-4 lead. The lefty, however, quickly found his mojo, winning the next two sets 6-2, 6-3 against the 19th seed, much to the delight of the French crowd.
The Australian then stormed back in style, bagging the fourth set 6-0. The World No. 74 dug deep and used all the support he was getting from the fans, taking the match to a final-set tie-break. He found his best tennis again when he needed it the most, winning the tie-break 10-4.
He will face unseeded Argentine Pedro Cachin in the second round. Riding on the confidence of overcoming the 19th seed, he will fancy his chances in that match.
The road ahead for Hugo Gaston at the 2022 French Open
The 21-year-old has not had the best of seasons so far. He had won just four matches on the ATP tour this year coming into the French Open, but Tuesday's epic triumph should give him a lot of belief going forward.
If he can get through his second-round match against Cachin, the Frenchman could face either Switzerland's Henri Laaksonen, an experienced campaigner, or talented teenager Holger Rune of Denmark.
Things could get tricky after that as fourth seed and last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas lies on the same side of the draw. However, if he does manage to make it through the next couple of rounds, the youngster's confidence will only grow.
