Richard Gasquet stole the show at the PTT Thailand Open – Tennis Special
French star, Richard Gasquet, unveiled his true form at the PTT Thailand Open last month and consequently captured his maiden title this circuit. He stomped over several seeded players before capturing the title at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals)
World Tour 250 Series event held in Bangkok, Thailand.
The French star, who captured bronze medal with Julien Benneteau at the London Olympics 2012, made a nervy entry at this indoor hard court tournament. He lost the opening set against the Bulgarian star, Grigor Dimitrov, in his first round match. However,
he stayed focused and pulled out the equaliser after capitalising on a break opportunity near the end of the second set. Gasquet never looked back and after dominating the deciding set, he set up a date with the Australian number one Bernard Tomic in the quarter-finals.
Seeded second in this event, Gasquet required a single break of serve to outsmart the Aussie in 89 minutes. He superbly dusted away all three breakpoints he faced and converted one out of two break chances to his advantage.
Currently ranked 13th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Gasquet maintained his intensity in his semi-final clash against seventh seeded Jarkko Nieminen. He was again underplayed in the opening set. However, the French star
sought his momentum afterwards and ultimately carved out the victory with a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory.
Coming off from a fourth round showing at the Flushing Meadows, Gasquet went berserk in the final showdown. He went berserk and crushed his compatriot, Gilles Simon, with a breadstick to capture his seventh career title. The Frenchman failed to fend off
the lone breakpoint he came across but cashed five out of eight break chances, eventually formulating a 6-2, 6-1 victory in one hour and eight minutes.
"I'm glad to win a title but it's tough to do it like this against another French player, a friend of mine. I have to be pleased to win but it was a little bit strange. I've had some tough matches this week, so this seventh title is a big one for me. I've
played and lost some finals over the years since my last one, so it's always good to finally win one. It was a good win for me here, a big comeback week."
This was Gasquet’s third title-round appearance this season. He previously secured final berths at the Estoril Open and at the Rogers Cup.
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