French tennis player Gea hails surge into second week at US Open

The 22-year-old will take on Botic van de Zandschulp from the Netherlands in the fourth round at theUS Open in New York.

The clash will be Gea's seventh match since arriving in New York for the qualifying tournament for the main draw.

During that competition, he beat Simit Nagal from India in the opening round on 25 August. A day later, he  dispatched Clement Chidekh from the United States.

But on 28 August, Gea went down in straight sets to Nishesh Basavareddy in the match that would have advanced him to the 128-player main draw.

However, as one of the highest ranked players to lose in the final round of qualifying, Gea was awarded a "lucky loser" place in the main draw when the 20th seedCasper Ruud pulled out with a back injury.

"When I found out that I was going to replace Casper, I knew there were players in that section of the draw that I could beat," said Gea who won his first ATP title in July in Los Cabos in Mexico after gaining experience in competitions on the second division Challenger circuit and at events on the third tier Futures tour.

'I played 20 matches in a row' 

"I'm used to playing tournaments back-to-back," he added. "When I was playing Futures, I played 20 matches in a row. So seven in New York is fine.

"Admittedly, it's harder because the matches at Grand Slams are a little longer. Obviously, playing over five sets is more tiring than winning in three."

Gea went into the first round with 11 compatriots in the men's draw. Arthur Fils, seeded 10th and the most heralded of the dozen, fell at the first hurdle to the former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Benjamin Bonzi went out on Sunday night in the third round to Karen Khachanov from Russia.

"It feels really good to be the last French player here," added Gea. "But I'd rather be the last player in the tournament than the last Frenchman competing."

Should Gea overcome Van de Zandschulp, he will become the first Frenchman to reach the last eight at a Grand Slam tournament since Gael Monfils at the 2025Australian Open.

"I said after the win at Los Cabos that I was happy but it was just one step. It allowed me to break into the top 100. It's the same here at the US Open.

"The goal is not to stop in the round of 16," added Gea. "If I can go further, that's great. In any case, the experience already allows me to feel more comfortable at Grand Slam tournaments."