PETE ZIEBRON
Richard Gasquet addresses the media in Cincinnati. Pete Ziebron Images
"When I was a teenager. I was number 7 in the world.....But for sure, physically, the game is bigger now. It's much tougher than before. The physical condition is high-level now, more than when I started in 2005. It's more difficult."
R1 d. Murray 6-4 6-4
R2 d. Delbonis 7-5 7-6(1)
R3 d. Schwartzman 7-6(6) 6-3
QF d. Bautista Agut 7-6(2) 3-6 6-2
SF l. Goffin 3-6 4-6
Richard Gasquet first played at the Western & Southern Open in 2005. After winning his very first match in Cincinnati fourteen years ago, he dropped three in a row and would not win again in Cincinnati until 2008. His best result prior to this year's run to the semifinals was a berth in the quarters in 2015, when world #2 Andy Murray ended his run in a three set tussle.
This year, the Frenchman drew Murray in the first round, but this was hardly the Andy Murray you’d have hoped for. Murray walked on court burdened by recent surgery. He had not played an ATP singles match since January. That said, Gasquet had lost their previous five matches and had not beaten Murray since 2012 in Rome. "Yeah, of course I knew maybe was the favorite of the match, but, you know, it's still Andy." Gasquet stayed the course and prevailed with a straight set victory.
Next up, Gasquet dispatched Argentine Federico Delbonis in straight sets in just under two hours. His reward for the win, a matchup against another Argentine, this time Diego Schwartzman. Again, the Frenchman would win in straight sets, and matched his personal best in Cincinnati, a berth in the quarters. Despite trailing in the first set tiebreaker against Schwartzman, Gasquet won the tiebreaker and opening set. "He was leading 6-4 in the tiebreak. Yeah, it was the key of match to win this set, because it was a one-hour-long set, physically very difficult. Yeah, I feel more confident winning it and then I could break him to start the second set at 3-0."
Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut was next. Gasquet had defeated him just once in five meetings. Ironically, the two had already played twice in 2019, Bautista Agut winning both in straight sets, in Halle, and just the previous week in Montreal. Gasquet took the opening set in a tiebreaker to extend his run to seven consecutive sets. Despite dropping the second set, he steadied his game and rolled in the final set, 6-2, to advance to the Semis. "I knew if I wanted to win I had to put a lot of energy in the start of the third. Yeah, I managed to do it. I served better. It was a great third set. I played faster. I tried to start well. I ran well. It was a great third set."
On to the semis. In over a decade on tour, Gasquet and David Goffin had only played twice, splitting those matches. Goffin won the opening set, 6-3. After falling behind 0-2 in the second, Goffin quickly corrected course and won six of the last eight games to advance to the final.
On to New York. Richard Gasquet would have been seeded at the US Open, had players with no intention of participating withdrawn early enough. They did not, so Gasquet was unseeded. He drew a seeded player, the red hot Italian Matteo Berrettini, in the opening round in New York and lost in four sets.
Coming back to the ATP Tour in Madrid in May this year after surgery, Gasquet elaborated on his return: "Yeah, after surgery you never know if you're gonna come back or not. You know, -- mentally it's tough. Physically, after this, it's very difficult to come back on the court, especially to play on a high level... It's very demanding. Now I'm feeling good, so of course -- yeah, I fought a lot all the year to come back, so now I'm feeling great. I'm feeling better."
Gasquet arrived in Cincinnati with an 11-9 record. He departed with his best ever showing in Cincinnati.
Comments