Roanne Challenger: Two French Players Qualify for Semifinals

This week, the Roanne Challenger is taking place. In the Loire region, two French players are still in contention as the semifinals will be played this Saturday. Hugo Gaston, who is aiming for a return to the top 100, is just one win away from his goal.

The Toulouse native, who eliminated Viktor Durasovic (7-5, 6-3), Borna Gojo (5-7, 7-6, 7-5), and Nikolai Budkov Kjaer (6-4, 3-6, 6-1), will face Matej Dodig in the coming hours. If he succeeds against the Croatian, the 25-year-old left-hander will return to the world's top 100, having previously reached a career-high ranking of 58th.

Another French player in the final four is Matteo Martineau. The world number 297, who came through the qualifiers, is a miracle survivor, having won his last two matches in the third-set tiebreak—against lucky loser Milos Karol (3-6, 7-6, 7-6 after saving two match points) and against Mika Brunold (7-6, 1-6, 7-6, saving one match point as well).

The 26-year-old player will face Otto Virtanen for a spot in the final, while Roanne spectators are beginning to dream of an all-French final between Gaston and Martineau.