French lucky loser Gea falls short of historic US Open quarter-final berth

French tennis player Arthur Gea came within a single point of making history at the US Open before suffering elimination from the tournament, BBC Sport reported.

Gea, who entered the tournament as a lucky loser, held match point during his fourth-round encounter, a moment that would have secured his place as the first lucky loser in history to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final, according to the report.

However, the Frenchman was unable to convert the opportunity. Three hours after holding the match point, Gea was out of the tournament, BBC Sport said.

A lucky loser is a player who loses in the final round of qualifying but gains entry into the main draw due to a withdrawal by another competitor. Reaching the quarter-final stage of a Grand Slam as a lucky loser would have been an unprecedented achievement in the sport.

Further details on the match and Gea's opponent were not immediately available.