Kevin Anderson upsets Richard Gasquet to reach round three – BNP Paribas Masters 2012
South African number one, Kevin Anderson, battled past the 12th seed, Richard Gasquet, in a three-set thriller at the BNP Paribas Masters 2012 on Wednesday. He summed up a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-1 victory against the world number 12 to secure a spot in
the round of 16 at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters taking place from 27th October to 4th November in Paris Bercy.
The Johannesburg native remained on course for his second year-to-date title after triumphing over Gasquet in two hours and 17 minutes. Battling each other for the fourth time, Anderson improved to a 4-0 lifetime in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series against
his fellow 26-year-old and progressed into the pre-quarters at this indoor hard court event.
The opening set saw both tennis stars displaying their brilliant skills. Anderson dusted away all four breakpoint he came across but squandered both break opportunities, eventually dragging the set to a tie-breaker. He prevailed in it and ultimately clicked
the opener with a 7-6(5) success.
The Swiss resident, Gasquet rebounded in the proceeding set. He ruled his serves until he got the coveted break in the ninth game, the French plucked his serve once again and clinched the equaliser with a 6-4 score line. Gasquet blocked the only breakpoint
he faced and converted one out of three break chances to his advantage.
Ranked 39th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Anderson went berserk in the final set. He unleashed flurry of groundstrokes and went on a five-game tear before Gasquet could come on the score sheet. The South African slid his
serve once again and pulled out the decider with a breadstick.
Next challenge for Anderson is fifth seeded Tomas Berdych in the third round. The Czech top ranked star warded off early resilience posed by Italy’s Andreas Seppi to set up this meeting.
The local wild card entrant, Michael Llodra, stunned 10th seeded John Isner to accompany the South African number one. He was never threatened with any barrier and with a single break of serve, the French formulated a 6-4, 7-6(5) score line.
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