Gaston in Final Against Virtanen at Roanne: The Frenchman Set to Re-enter Top 100

This Saturday, it wasn't just the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters 1000.

In the Loire region, the matchups for the final four at Roanne were played, and two Frenchmen were in contention to reach the final, similar to their compatriots Rinderknech in Shanghai and Cazaux in Jinan.

In the first duel of Saturday's schedule, Matteo Martineau faced Otto Virtanen. The 24-year-old Finn, ranked 140th in the world, had ended the runs of Tom Paris and Calvin Hemery and was facing his third French player since the start of the week.

After a tight match, it was ultimately Virtanen who qualified (7-6, 6-4 in 1h31). However, there will indeed be a French player in the final, and it is Hugo Gaston. Off to a rocky start in his match against Matej Dodig, the 25-year-old from Toulouse ultimately turned the situation around (3-6, 6-3, 6-3).

The left-hander thus secures his third consecutive three-set victory in this tournament after those against Gojo and Budkov Kjaer. With this win against the Croatian, Gaston is guaranteed to make his return to the top 100, ahead of the final this Sunday.