Tension ran high at the Moselle Open in Metz as Frenchman Hugo Gaston’s clash with Germany’s Daniel Altmaier took an unexpected turn. Their encounter in the first set began with Gaston edging away to a win. But the momentum dramatically shifted away from him in the second set. In the end, Gaston’s story at the Moselle Open was shut down. But what really caused the unrest in this chaotic contest? 

Gaston was about to serve in the second set of the match against Altmaier when his right foot gave in. He was forced to opt for a medical timeout with the scoreboard reading 0-3 (for the second set), in his opponent’s favor. Visuals of the courtside medical staff examining his right ankle quickly spread throughout the internet. But that wasn’t the end of the series of pauses that troubled this match. 

Soon after Gaston lost the second set with a score of 0-6, the play was temporarily paused. The reason? Something went wrong with the LED lights on the roof of the Centre Court. The officials joined hands and brought down the LED cable that was hanging off the roof and fixed the loose panel. And as a result, the game between Gaston and Altmaier in the Northern French city was suspended for an additional 20-30 minutes. During this time, the players even went off the court. 

So, how did that damage occur? Well, during the second set, Hugo Gaston sent a shanked ball at the roof of the arena. Following that, the officials kept focusing on damaged lighting, and soon after the set concluded, they worked on the repairs. However, this technical timeout turned out to be a crucial moment for Gaston. He acknowledged the injury he sustained to his ankle and decided to retire. 

The bout ended in favor of Daniel Altmaier, and the scoreboard read 6-4, 0-6. While Altmaier will move on to compete in the quarterfinals against Lorenzo Sonego, Gaston got eliminated from the race. This was his 17th loss in 2025, while the Frenchman has won only eight matches this year. But do you know what he has to say about his losses? 

Hugo Gaston opens up about his playing style and multiple defeats

Tennis is a rapidly evolving sport, and people with unique and dominant playing styles have always come up at the top. Take Carlos Alcaraz, for example. His matches keep the audience glued to their seats because of his energy, crowd control, and creative strikes. But not everyone can match that. And Gaston is a long way away from such dominance. During a conversation with Eurosport, he admitted that many tennis players were tall and powerful, but he was not. 

Hugo Gaston claimed, “I’m not going to hit two or three aces per game. So I have to find other ways.” This means that he has to change his game and be aggressive whenever he can. The Frenchman continued, “I’m lucky to have good vision and good legs for moving and countering. I also need to know how to attack, take control of the game, and know how to pressure these tall players.” 

This time, too, Gaston was rewarded with an unfortunate loss along with an injury. It was a night where fate interrupted twice, ending the night with a defeat in front of his countrymen. And now, he shall focus on regaining his momentum after recovering from his recent ankle injury.