Marinko Matosevic stuns Richard Gasquet in the second round – AEGON International 2012
World number 82, Marinko Matosevic of Australia, produced the biggest upset of the tournament, as he defeated the top seed, Richard Gasquet, in three sets 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) in the round of 16 at the AEGON International in England
on Tuesday.
It looked as if the grass courts of Devonshire Park in Eastbourne had suited the Australian’s game, who recorded his first win over a top-20 player in the world. He put on a spirited show, as he fought back after losing the first
set pretty badly.
Gasquet made the best possible start to the match, as he broke the Australian in the second and fourth game, capturing opening five games and attaining a 5-0 lead. The Frenchman was unable to complete a bagel, as Matosevic held
his serve in the sixth to open his account and reduce the trail to 1-5. However, Gasquet did not lose even a single point in the next game, sealing the opener 6-1.
The Frenchman bombarded six aces and 88 percent of the first serves in the first set. The right-hander grabbed 17 of the 23 first and two of the three second delivery points. He was also very impressive on the replies to Matosevic’s
serves, claiming three of the seven first and five of the eight second return points.
Gasquet and Matosevic put on an outstanding serving display in the second set, as they did not lose even a single serve till the end, equalling the score at 6-6 and taking it to a tie-breaker. Both players went neck to neck till
5-5 but Matosevic hit a couple of forehand winners to capture two consecutive points afterwards and sealed it 7-6(5).
The Australian banged in two aces and 68 percent of the first serves in the second set, converting 22 of the 36 of them into points. The 26-year-old was also helped by his strong second deliveries and returns, as he sealed 12 of
the 17 and seven of the 14 points on them respectively.
Matosevic and Gasquet exchanged a single break of serve in the first 12 games of the decider and took the score to 6-6, forcing a tie-breaker. The Australian made a fine start, as he grabbed a 3-1 lead, capitalising on it to triumph
7-6(3).
It took Matosevic two hours and 26 minutes to complete the victory in a close match.
The Australian will play either Steve Darcis of Belgium or Cypriot contender, Marcos Baghdatis, in the quarter-finals.
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