Gaston Battles Into First ATP Final In Gstaad
Frenchman Hugo Gaston’s dream run continued on Saturday at the Swiss Open Gstaad as he battled back to defeat seventh seed Laslo Djere 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 and reach his first ATP Tour final.
The 20-year-old, who had never advanced past the second round at an ATP Tour event before this week, played with great variety throughout, using the drop shot to good effect to advance in one hour and 50 minutes.
[WATCH LIVE 1]“I tried to take more time with my game,” Gaston said. “I made a lot of mistakes in the first set, so I tried to change my game. My serve was better in the second and third set. I am really happy to be in the final. It is going to be a good match, but I will try and enjoy [this] moment.”
It is the third match in a row where Gaston has won the deciding set, having saved four match points in the final set tie-break against fourth-seeded Chilean Cristian Garin in the quarter-finals.
Gaston has now claimed 18 clay-court wins at all levels this season, reaching ATP Challenger Tour finals at the Concord Iasi Open and the Roma Garden Open I. The World No. 155 will face third seed Casper Ruud in the championship match after he defeated Czech qualifier Vit Kopriva 6-3, 6-0.
After breaks were exchanged at the start of the first set, Djere took control. He returned with great depth as Gaston struggled on serve, winning just 44 per cent (8/18) of his first-service points. Djere broke three times in the set to move ahead. The match changed in the second set, though. Gaston did not drop a point behind his first serve (12/12) in the set as he started to disrupt Djere’s rhythm with his variety of shots, forcing a decider.
Gaston continued to defend well in the third set, chasing down every ball as the lefty frustrated Djere. He broke twice in the final set to seal victory. Gaston becomes the youngest Gstaad finalist since 2006, when 20-year-old Richard Gasquet lifted the title.
Djere has claimed 20 tour-level victories this season. The Serbian was aiming to reach his second ATP Tour final of the season on Saturday, having advanced to the championship match at the Sardegna Open (l. to Sonego) in April.