Richard Gasquet devastates Go Soeda in the opening round clash – 2012 Open 13
Seeded at number five in the main draw, the home favourite, Richard Gasquet, registered a thumping victory over the 82nd ranked Japanese opponent, Go Soeda, in the opening round of the Open 13 on Tuesday. The world number
15 took mere 63 minutes of play to wrap up victory at 6-0, 6-2, advancing into the second round of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) World Tour 250 event in Marseille, France.
The Frenchman was absolutely ballistic throughout the match, dominating every second of it to force his opponent out of the competition. Gasquet lost just two games in the entire matchup and beat Soeda in every single aspect of
the game, delivering one of the finest displays of high quality tennis to win the hearts of his local crowd.
The fifth seed banged 74 per cent of his first serve on target, clinching 22 out of 34 points on it and nailing five out of six serve breaks to drive the Japanese underdog out of the competition in style. It was the first time
Soeda went one-on-one against Gasquet and proved to be a total mismatch for the belligerent Frenchman. The 27-year-old Japanese veteran had seven break opportunities in the match but he carelessly frittered away all of them to remain at a disadvantage throughout
the match. He failed to hold his serve in the opening nine games of the match, depicting his pathetic performance against the former top-tenner.
The opening set was a complete Gasquet-show. The French totally outclassed his Soeda with his pin-point hitting and selective shot making. He went on for a nine-game killing spree right from the beginning, defending the four break
points he faced from the Japanese and securing the opening set with a bagel. Soeda finally held his serve for the first time in the fourth game of the second set but it was way too late for him to make a comeback from that situation. He held his serve once
again but a crushing break point conversion from Gasquet in the eighth game proved decisive for him, sealing the victory at 6-2.
Gasquet will take on the unseeded Russian competitor, Igor Kunitsyn, in the second round of the Open 13. Kunitsyn was successful against the Spanish qualifier, Roberto Bautista-Agut, in twin sets, 6-4, 6-4, in the opening round
of the tournament. The talented Russian will meet Gasquet on Thursday to battle for a place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
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