Paris (AFP)

"I'll be back in two days": this cryptic phrase actually masks a major achievement in the career of Frenchman Hugo Gaston (239th worldwide) who eliminated Stan Wawrinka, 17th and 2015 winner on Friday, to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros at his first participation.

After having resisted and then disgusted him, Gaston ended up in a fireworks display by inflicting a scathing 6-0 on a Wawrinka who could no longer manage to outflank the Frenchman and multiply unforced errors.

In the end, after 3:10 of play interspersed with an intermission of 2:30 because of the rain, Gaston won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

"It's crazy what is happening ... thank you for coming", he commented before leaving the Suzanne-Lenglen court in which 200 people chanted "Hugo president! Hugo president!".

Throughout the match, this rare audience scattered in the lower part of the stands of the 10,000-seat court, supported the French while a handful in favor of the Swiss tried to be heard as well.

So much so that a muted Davis Cup atmosphere was created to make people forget the cold and humidity.

"I entered the field to win ... I didn't necessarily think I would win, but you pushed me and I did it," said the 20-year-old, who received an invitation to enter. the main table.

- It goes into the head "-

He took a set to settle his game, to gain confidence and even to realize that he could win.

The plan was "to avoid falling into Stan's game, to avoid direct and brutal confrontation and to vary a lot, the zones, the effects, the rhythms", explained his trainer Marc Barbier.

As the rain fell, Gaston began to support Wawrinka's pace to set up his own game, a hyper-creative game made of power, touch, variations.

Not to mention that, in the last round in particular, thanks to judicious anticipations both on the fly and on the baseline, Gaston was everywhere on the court.

"It gets into the heads of the opponents who, in the end, make gratuitous mistakes which for me are provoked because, as he has a very good ground coverage, his opponents are full of doubts about their way of playing, which causes faults, "said Barbier.

This game, innate, allows the Toulouse left-hander to make a place for himself on the tennis world despite his height of 1.73m which no longer corresponds at all to the canons of the modern game.

It remains for Gaston and his clan to develop it on the tactical level to climb the hierarchy.

- "You will fold it" -

"We knew he was ready to physically hold the length. But we didn't know whether it could hold up emotionally and he proved to us that it was very strong!", Underlined Barbier.

"We will enjoy and we will talk about the rest tomorrow quietly," he added.

Gaston played his first match in five sets on Friday, his first on the Suzanne-Lenglen court, his first round of 16 in the Grand Slam.

And like a mountaineer who opens paths and conquers higher and higher summits, he will face Sunday in the round of 16 against Dominic Thiem, 3rd in the world, finalist of the last two editions of Roland-Garros and recent winner of the US Open, probably on the Central.

"You're going to fold it!", Launched spectators after his qualification.

The Austrian, after a first set-up, clearly dominated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-3, 6-1.

Rafael Nadal was even more expeditious against Stefano Travaglia 6-1, 6-4, 6-0.

If Gaston is the last French competitor in the men's table, among the ladies Caroline Garcia has also won her ticket for the second week.

The 45th world overthrew the Belgian Elise Mertens (20th) 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 in 2:15 to offer her first major round of 16 since Roland-Garros 2018, her fourth overall.

She will challenge world No.5 Elina Svitolina.

Simona Halep took less than an hour to rule Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-1.

© 2020 AFP