After the eliminations in the 3rd round of Diane Parry (against the American Sloane Stephens), Alizé Cornet (against the Chinese Quinwen Zheng), Léolia Jeanjean (against the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu), Gilles Simon (against the Croatian Marin Cilic) and Hugo Gaston (beaten 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 by the Dane Holger Rune), there are no more French people in the race at Roland-Garros. A year after a catastrophic edition, no Tricolore qualified in the 3rd round for the first time since 1968, the French players, often wildly encouraged, showed courage, sowed some surprises and promises but none will see the second week.
Hugo Gaston, this Saturday, was the last blue chance. The short Philippe Chatrier pushed him but the young Toulouse man did not manage to unseat the promising Danish Holger Rune (19 years old; 40th in the world, recent winner of his first tournament in Munich, beating Alexander Zverev in the process).
More solid, fairer, Rune remained marble in a fiery atmosphere. His speed of execution, his precision and a hint of success withstood the wind and the pressure of the public. In strength or in finesse, as with a cushioning posed at the end of the 28 racket strokes of a breathtaking exchange offering him a set point on the service of the Frenchman. Taking Hugo Gaston at his own game, before going on to break away irresistibly 3-0 in the 3rd set.
Deprived of solutions, short of ideas in the face of ground cover and the power of shots, Hugo Gaston tried everything until the end. In vain. Holger Rune continues its ascent. He aims high, the claim. His aplomb resisted the crazy atmosphere of the Philippe Chatrier court and amazed. He who was living his 3rd Grand Slam tournament (US Open, Australian Open) only and had never taken a turn…
Holger Rune, winner of the Roland-Garros junior tournament in 2019, will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16. After two tight first rounds, the Greek (seeded n°4) had a quiet match against the Swede Mikael Ymer. Carlos Alcaraz (world No. 6) has established himself as a phenomenon after a resounding start to the year. In the shadow of the Spaniard, the Dane (winner of the Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the 1st round) could in the coming months stand out as an essential player.
