LILLE/STARNBERG, February 17, 2026
Third seed Hugo Gaston kept his composure to secure a hard-fought opening victory at the Play In Challenger Lille on Monday night. The 25-year-old Frenchman, ranked No. 96 in the world, defeated Austria’s Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in one hour and 42 minutes.
Home Advantage
Hugo Gaston outlasts Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 for a clean sweep of French victories on Day 1!#ATPChallenger | @PlayinLille pic.twitter.com/RPNv8eZlEe
— ATP Challenger (@ATPChallenger) February 16, 2026
“Not everything was perfect, but it’s important to win matches like this. I played a very good first set,” Gaston said afterwards. “Overall, it was a bit up and down, but I managed to stay solid without overdoing it.”
Earlier in the evening, Luca Van Assche staged an impressive comeback against Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi. After dropping the opening set, the 21-year-old Frenchman turned the match around to prevail 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 in two hours and 28 minutes.
“I deserve credit for hanging in there and fighting until the end,” Van Assche said. “At one key moment he got a bit tight and made a few small errors that allowed me to break back. After that, it was a battle all the way.” The 2021 Roland-Garros junior champion fully earned his place in the second round of the ATP Challenger Tour 125 event.
Titouan Droguet also advanced, though not without turbulence. The 24-year-old defeated Ukraine’s Vitaliy Sachko 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 in just over two hours. Only days after reaching the semifinals of the Open Occitanie, Droguet once again demonstrated his resilience.
Goffin and Kouame Headline Tuesday
Tuesday’s schedule promises further excitement with the return of former world No. 7 David Goffin, now ranked 119th. The 35-year-old Belgian, who has been recovering from a left knee injury sustained late last season, faces Austrian youngster Joel Schwaerzler. Goffin, once affiliated with the Lille club, is eager to climb back into the Top 100.
Another major attraction will be 16-year-old wild card Moise Kouame, widely regarded as one of France’s brightest prospects. Kouame made an excellent start to the year by capturing two ITF World Tennis Tour titles in Hazebrouck and Bressuire. After making his main-draw debut on the ATP Tour at Montpellier and competing in Pau last week, he now seeks his first win at Challenger level against Croatian qualifier Matej Dodig.
Defending champion Arthur Bouquier will also take on Belgian qualifier Kimmer Coppejans, while fourth seed Alexander Blockx faces a stern test against Russia’s Roman Safiullin in what promises to be one of the standout matches of the day.
