Richard Gasquet battles past Robin Haase into the second round – Swiss Indoors Basel 2012
Third seeded player from France, Richard Gasquet, kept alive his chances for qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals, as he defeated the world number 49, Robin Haase of the Netherlands, in three sets 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the first
round of the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The Frenchman needed one hour and 43 minutes to undo his rival in a close contest.
Gasquet and Haase began by winning their serve in the first two games and squaring off the score at 1-1. The French player got broken in the third and also lost the following one to go down 1-3. Gasquet failed to make a comeback
in the first set, losing it 4-6.
Haase bombarded seven aces and grabbed 18 of the 21 points on them. The Dutch national could not do well on the second deliveries and first returns, as he lost six of the 11 and 14 of the 18 points on them respectively. The 25-year-old,
however, put away both break threats he came across and availed one of the four opportunities he created in the opener.
After surprisingly losing the first set, Gasquet made amendments in his play in the second one, winning opening three games to race to a 3-0 lead. The French number two retained his advantage till the end and clinched it 6-3.
Gasquet banged in a couple of aces and did not make any double fault, putting in 74 percent of the first serves. The French player had an above average conversion rate, securing 15 of the 20 and five of the seven points. The right-hander
had no answer to Haase’s blistering first deliveries, losing 11 of the 12 points on them but he balanced that by grabbing seven of the 10 on the second returns.
Carrying winning momentum into the second set, Gasquet broke his Dutch opponent in the third game and held his next serve to attain a 3-1 lead. The French star made another strike in the seventh and capitalised on the double advantage
to seal it 6-2.
Gasquet will face off with the winner of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Marco Chiudinelli in the second round.
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