Richard Gasquet trounces Brian Baker to enter round two – Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012
Seeded 11th in this event, Richard Gasquet, got the better of the American veteran, Brian Baker, in straight sets at the Shanghai Rolex Masters 2012 on Monday. He juggled up a 6-2, 6-3 victory against the world number 61 to charge into the second
round at this ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Masters 1000 event held in People’s Republic of China.
The French seed stayed on track towards his second year-to-date title after tumbling Baker in their first encounter. After recording the victory in one hour and 10 minutes, Gasquet edged in the FedEx ATP Head 2 Head Series by 1-0 against the American and
progressed into the round of 32 at this outdoor hard court event.
Gasquet unleashed his true skills after entering the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. He reeled off five games in a row before Baker could come on the score sheet. Apart from losing his serve in the seventh game, the French seed broke his rival’s serve
once again and clicked the opener with a 6-3 win. He brushed off one out of two breakpoints he faced but cashed in all three break chances to inch towards the glory.
Ranked 13th in the South African Airways ATP World Tour Rankings, Gasquet carried his rhythm in the following set. He swiftly bagged his entire serves without facing any hindrance and capitalised on one out of two break chances in the eighth game,
eventually sealing the set by winning six games to three.
The French booming star smashed six aces and ended the match with 60 points. He produced a slightly lower first serve share of 54 per cent in contrast with the American’s 56 per cent and impressively availed 24 out of 31 points on it. Gasquet spilled equal
number of double faults but sought more break chances which made the difference.
The 26-year-old will next face the winner of the match between Czech Republic’s Radek Stepanek and the Australian wild card entrant, Lleyton Hewitt.
Grigor Dimitrov from Bulgaria also stole the show later that day. He required a single break of serve in each set to outclass the Spanish challenger, Pablo Andujar.
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