The Moselle Open clash between Hugo Gaston and Daniel Altmaier had to be suspended after the Frenchman broke a piece of the LED screen with a wayward shot. The ATP 250 event got underway on Sunday, with the likes of Alexander Bublik and Cameron Norrie featuring throughout the week.

Gaston and Altmaier went head-to-head in Metz for a place in the quarter-finals. Gaston won the first set 6-4 but was then forced to call the physio onto court due to an issue with his right foot. The 25-year-old struggled throughout the second set and failed to win a single game as Altmaier levelled the scores.

At the end of the second set, the ball struck the big screen and tournament chiefs decided to bring down the LED cable and attempt to fix it.

The players were taken off the court, with the match expected to be delayed by up to half an hour.

But play never resumed as Gaston was unable to recover from his injury and withdrew from the match.

The former Paris Masters quarter-finalist had earlier broken down in tears at the side of the court during the changeover as he struggled with his injury.

Altmaier will now face Lorenzo Sonego in the last eight and will be eyeing the main prize, with the final due to be played on Saturday.

Gaston, who made his ATP Tour debut in 2018, has featured in 17 Grand Slam events during his career.

His best run at a Major came during his maiden appearance at the French Open in 2020 when he reached the fourth round before losing a five-set thriller against Dominic Thiem.

The talented ace has played at three editions of Wimbledon, but has been knocked out in the first round on two occasions. Earlier this year, he lost to Jakub Mensik in his opening match at the All England Club after losing to Alexandre Muller at the same stage last year. In 2022, he reached the second round at SW19, before losing against Sonego.

And discussing his style of play during an interview with Eurosport earlier this year, the star explained: “Obviously, a lot of players are tall, powerful. That’s not really my case.

“I’m not going to make two or three aces per game. So I have to find other ways. It involves variation and being aggressive whenever I can. I’m lucky to have a good eye, good legs to move and counter.

“I also have to know how to attack, take the game into my own hands and know how to attack these big boys.”