Felix Gill, a wildcard from Redditch, battled into the last 16 at the Lexus Nottingham Open with a three-set victory over fifth seed Hugo Gaston. The match, which lasted two hours and 25 minutes, saw Gill win 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 in the round of 32.
The 24-year-old had to finish the match overnight after it went to tie breaks in the first two sets. He secured a spot in the round of 16 against Finland's Otto Virtanen, who is ranked 160th in the world.
“I’m really impressed with the win. It was a great match, he’s a really good player and he’s been on the tour for a long time,” Gill said. “To get this type of win means a lot to me and to finish it off after being a set and 5-5, I’m really happy.”
Gill had never faced Gaston before but held his nerve after losing the second set. The victory is significant for Gill, who reached his first ATP Tour Challenger final in Pune, India, in February.
“I tell myself the match isn’t over yet, even though you’re a set and 5-5, you’ve got two games but it’s a long way to go,” he added. “Then going into the third it’s just like normal. Play one more set and just try and get it done.”
The Nottingham Open has hosted past champions including Ashleigh Barty, Karolina Pliskova, and Sir Andy Murray. With two men's singles Wimbledon wildcard spots still available, Gill hopes his performance on the grass courts will attract attention.
Gill also benefited from home support in Birmingham earlier this month, where he reached the last 16 before losing to World No. 47 Kamil Majchrzak. “You don’t often get to play at home,” he said. “It’s really special to play in front of a home crowd.”
