Richard Gasquet slays Tommy Haas to reach fourth round – French Open 2012
Seeded 17th in this red clay court tournament, Richard Gasquet made a spectacular comeback to progress into the pre-quarters at the French Open 2012 on Saturday. He summed up a 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 victory against the 34-year-old to rule at this second of the four Grand Slam events held in Paris.
The Frenchman sought his rhythm after the opening set and subsequently devastated Haas with double bagels in a battle between two former top-10 stars. Gasquet not only avenged his loss at the US Open four years ago but also levelled the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head series by 2-2 against the veteran.
"I have great respect for such a big player. He has a wonderful career, a beautiful attitude," said the delighted Gasquet after the match. "It wasn't easy for him after he won the first set. He's been one of the best players in the world for quite a while, and this should not be forgotten."
Currently ranked 112th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Gasquet thundered into the Court Suzanne Lenglen and drew the first blood in the opening game to jump to a 2-0 lead. Despite losing his edge in the fourth game, the French kept remaining serves with poise and took the set to the tie-breaker. He dominated in it and clicked the opener with a 7-6(3) win.
Gasquet rebounded in the following set and earned the coveted break in the fifth game to take a 4-2 lead. He held remaining serves without facing any obstacle and cashed in another break chance to formulate a 6-3 success.
The world number 20 perfected his game in the third set. He unleashed flurry of powerful groundstrokes to reel off all six games in a row, eventually pulling out the set with a bagel.
Gasquet maintained his intensity in the fourth set and after dusting away all four breakpoints he faced, the French held his entire serves. He capitalised on three out of five break chances and sealed the set with an assuring 6-0 score line.
Next up for Gasquet is the fourth seed, Andy Murray.
The Frenchman was further quoted, "So I'll be at 100 per cent on the court for my next match. My objective was not just to make it to the second week. I know I can do better. So I'll have to play a great match against Murray."
The Brit tumbled over Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo in straight sets to set up this match.
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