Stan Wawrinka expresses disbelief over Hugo Gaston's shocking retirement facing match point at Verona Challenger
Stan Wawrinka has reacted to French tennis player Hugo Gaston's shocking retirement when facing match point at the Internazionali di Tennis Challenger event in Verona, Italy.
Gaston squared off against Marco Trungelliti in the first round on Wednesday, July 26. The Frenchman closed out the first set 6-3 but was broken twice by his opponent in the second set as he went down 2-6.
Serving at 2-5, 0-40 in the final set, second seed Gaston found himself on the verge of a defeat. But instead of playing out the match point, the Frenchman controversially retired.
Taking to social media on Wednesday, Wawrinka reacted to the incident in disbelief.
"WoW," read the Swiss' tweet.
@TheTennisLetter WoW
This is not the first time that Gaston has come under fire for his questionable actions on tour. Earlier this year, his behavior at the Madrid Open was met with a hefty €133,000 fine.
In an attempt to get a let and thus a replay of the point, Gaston threw a ball from his pocket when his opponent Borna Coric was just about to hit a smash. The officials later caught the act on camera when examining the footage.
Gaston reflected on the incident at the French Open, admitting his mistake but maintaining that there was no intention of cheating.
"You don't always react as you should. I made a mistake. I paid for it. That's life. But it was not cheating at all. It was just 100 percent frustration," Gaston said.
Gaston also denied any claims of him having engaged in similar wrongdoings in the past.
"I also heard that it was a repeated action, that it was a repeated action on the fact that I got a fine. But I've never done that type of thing because that's something that is not like me," he added.
Stan Wawrinka to play against Filip Misolic in the Croatia Open 1R
Meanwhile, Stan Wawrinka will play against Filip Misolic in the first round of the 2023 Croatia Open on Wednesday, July 26. This will be their first meeting on the ATP Tour.
Wawrinka returned to clay after Wimbledon, entering the Swiss Open in Gstaad. The three-time Grand Slam champion registered a first-round win against Roberto Carballes Baena on his home turf before falling to Jaume Munar in the second round.
Meanwhile, Misolic earned a place in the Croatia Open main draw following straight-sets wins against Pablo Cuevas and Damir Dzumhur in the qualifiers. The Austrian also made a promising run to the quarterfinals of the Swedish Open last week.
Stan Wawrinka, known for his expertise on clay, will be hopeful of defeating the young Misolic in his opener.