AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: THE FRENCH OPEN TENNIS – RICHARD GASQUET IS THE LAST FRENCHMAN STANDING BEFORE FACING ANDY MURRAY IN PARIS

Written by: Staff on 30th May 2016

French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: THE FRENCH OPEN TENNIS - RICHARD GASQUET IS THE LAST FRENCHMAN STANDING BEFORE FACING ANDY MURRAY IN PARIS

epa05336522 Richard Gasquet of France celebrates after winning against Kei Nishikori of Japan during their men's single round of 16 match at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 29 May 2016. EPA/IAN LANGSDON |

By Ricky Dimon

The French Open is down to its last player in singles, and an upset will be required if the host nation wants to have a representative in the semifinals. Richard Gasquet may not have been France’s best hope prior to the event, but he has battled his way into a Tuesday showdown with Andy Murray.

Shockingly, Gasquet had never been to the Roland Garros quarters prior to this fortnight. The world No. 12 finally got over the hump in his 13th appearance, and he did so by surprising Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 on Sunday.

“I was just motivated, you know, to play in Paris in the fourth round against one of the biggest players in the world with all the crowd cheering for me in Paris. Biggest stage in the world for French player. That’s why I really wanted to win this match, and of course I’m really happy because I did.”

The upset of Nishikori was preceded by straight-set victories over Thomaz Bellucci, Bjorn Fratangelo, and Nick Kyrgios. Thus run has really come out of nowhere for Gasquet, whose clay-court preparation was derailed by none other than Nishikori (the Japanese coasted in third-round contests in Madrid and Rome).

Gasquet and Murray will now be facing each other for the 11th time in their careers on Tuesday. Murray is leading the head-to-head series 7-3, including 2-1 on clay and 4-0 in their last four encounters dating back to a collision at this same tournament in 2012.

What was a burgeoning Grand Slam rivalry between 2008 and 2012 has stalled out of late. Murray and Gasquet squared off four times at slams–twice at Roland Garros and twice at Wimbledon–in a five-season span, but they have not met in such a situation since the Scot got the job done 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 during fourth-round action in 2012. Murray has stormed back from two-set deficits at the Frenchman’s expense on two occasions; 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-4 at the All-England Club in 2008 and 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 in the 2010 French Open first round.

Richard Gasquet of France in action against Kei Nishikori of Japan during their men’s single round of 16 match at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 29 May 2016. EPA/IAN LANGSDON

Speaking of first-round scares on the red clay, that is exactly what the No. 2 seed endured last week. Veteran qualifier Radek Stepanek surged to a two-set advantage over Murray only to eventually bow out 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-5. Murray struggled though another five-setter in round two–against wild card Mathias Bourgue, whom the favorite survived 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. A pair of huge servers proved to be just what the doctor ordered for Murray, who raised his level considerably in straight-set defeats of Ivo Karlovic and John Isner.

“The crowd is always important,” Gasquet commented. “(It was) like Davis Cup match for me (against Nishikori). Very, very good for me. I want to play well. It’s always important to have the crowd cheering for you, as they did it on the court, and I admit it made a big difference for me.

And of course it will be the same on Tuesday. But for sure I need to play a big match to win (against) Andy.”

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: 10sballs, Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Clay tennis, French Open Tennis, Kei Nishikori, Paris, RG16, Richard Gasquet, Ricky Dimon, Roland Garros, Sports, Tennis News

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May 30, 2016 at 6:07 pm

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