America’s Christopher Eubanks will face the France’s, Hugo Gaston in the second round (R32) of the Winston-Salem Open. Both of these players have struggled a bit this season. So, now they will be keen to get some under their belts before the US Open. It’s time to prove their mettle yet again! Who has the edge in this intriguing faceoff?
Although Eubanks has made a handful of deep runs into the tournaments this year, he has struggled to find some consistency in his game. His best records include reaching SF and two QFs in his previous tournaments in the 2024 season. He’ll be entering this match after his hard-fought victory against Australia’s Adam Walton in the first round. Eubanks defeated Walton by 2-6,7-5,6-4 in that match. Although, the results could’ve been much better, his resilience in this match was truly noteworthy.
Whereas in June, Gaston won his first Challenger title of the season in Lyon as the top seed, defeating fellow countryman Alexandre Muller in the final. The 23-year-old Frenchman is entering this match after a disappointing campaign at the Cincinnati Masters. He was defeated by Spain’s Jaume Munar in the qualifiers of that tournament by 6(5)-7,2-6. Now, it’ll be interesting to see if he can really bounce back from that disappointing loss with a win against Eubanks.
Well, these two tennis players haven’t met each other in their careers as of now. However, with both of them struggling a bit this season, we’re sure this match is going to have a lot of fireworks. So fasten your seatbelts for the clash of a left-handed Frenchman versus a right-handed American!
Although Christopher Eubanks will have the support of the home crowd, Gaston’s current form and his superiority in rankings are what keeping him slightly ahead in this match. Hugo Gaston has a win-loss record of 9-11 this season, not too impressive, right? Well, for Eubanks it’s much worse (9-17). Gaston is currently ranked 61 in the world, whereas Eubanks is ranked 120. So, considering all these factors apparently, the Frenchman looks most likely to be having an edge in this battle. But, this is not all!
However, if we consider their playing styles, Eubanks loves to rely on his fiery serves and aggressive baseline game to seal the deal in his matches. He has hit 218 aces so far this season and even in his previous match, the American hammered 14 aces against his opponent. So, serves are going to play a huge role in this match. Apart from that, Eubanks also has a strong forehand and he often tends to come up to the nets to finish off the points.
Gaston, on the other hand, is quite a unique player. His unorthodox style of play is what fans usually love to see. This lefty can use his wide serves to put himself in an advantageous position during the matches. Gaston’s incredible drop shots are more than capable of putting his opponents a bit wrong-footed. So, Eubanks needs to take care of this right from the start of the match. Apart from that, the Frenchman also has a varied style of play which usually comprises sliced forehands and backhands.
Can these weapons beat the American tennis star on American soil? A yes! Their current form is surely playing a huge factor in this prediction.
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