Top seed Richard Gasquet overcame some brutal resistance to defeat Dan Evans 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, in the second round of the Winston-Salem Open.
The 30-year-old was pushed to his limits in the two-and-a-half-hour encounter, saving eight out of the ten break points he faced. In the entire match Gasquet only won six more points than the British world No.67 to progress to the next round.
“It was a tough match for me,” Gasquet said. “I think physically I’m not in my best shape. But I know I’m still tough to beat.”
“It’s important for me to do this kind of match,” he added. “Everything is possible in this draw.”
Gasquet is playing in only his second tournament since Wimbledon after being sidelined from action due to a back injury. In the next round he will play fellow countryman and tour veteran Stephane Robert, who stunned 13th seed Federico Delbonis 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, in another marathon match. At the age of 36, Robert is currently at a career ranking high of 52nd in the world.
Despite Evans’ exit from the tournament, there was a duo of wins for British players. Aljaz Bedene has booked a meeting with second seed Roberto Bautista Agut after outlasting Irish qualifier James McGee 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. Meanwhile, Kyle Edmund edged his way past Rajeev Ram 7-5, 7-6(5). Edmund will next play Viktor Troicki.
Taylor Fritz was another player to triumph at the tournament. Playing his nemesis Francis Tiafoe, the 18-year-old eased himself to a 6-1, 6-4, win. It is the first time that Fritz has defeated Tiafoe after losing to him on six previous occasions on the tour.
“When I played him in Indian Wells I was thinking about it too much,” Fritz told atpworldtour.com.
“I wanted it way too bad and that just caused me to play a really tight and nervy match. This time I came out with no expectations, not feeling like I should win, not feeling entitled at all to winning the match, and I think that’s what allowed me to play loose and play free and play a good match.”
In the second round Fritz will play Spanish 15th seed Fernando Verdasco in what will be their first ever meeting.
Finally, Andrey Kuznetsov was promoted to the third round after his opponent, Mikhail Youzhny, withdrew. It is unclear as to the reason behind Youzhny’s withdrawal.
