14 years after his maiden appearance at Roland Garros, Richard Gasquet has reached the last eight of the French Open with a stunning four sets win over Kei Nishikori.
The 29-year-old displayed a series of outstanding shots, especially with his magical backhand, to knock the fifth seed out 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
It was a tricky start for the Frenchman as Nishikori raced to a 4-2 lead before the match was halted due to an hour-long rain delay. The delay to the match did wonders to the home favourite as Gasquet returned in a dominant mood. Winning ten out of twelve games, the Frenchman swiftly opened up a two-sets lead after 77 minutes of play.
The one-sided performance from Gasquet came as a surprise considering the two previous encounters between both players earlier this year. Playing on clay in Madrid and Rome, the world No.12 lost both of those matches in straight sets to Nishikori.
A blip occurred during the end of the third set after an error-stricken Gasquet game handed his opponent the break and more significantly the third set. Despite the disappointment, the inspired Frenchman maintained his attacking play throughout the fourth set in front of a highly animated French crowd. Breaking twice, Gasquet found himself tasked with serving for the biggest win in his French Open career. He passed with flying colours as he served the match out to love.
🎾 ROLAND GARROS: Richard Gasquet qualifié pour les quarts de finale en battant K.Nishikori (6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2)https://t.co/W27Gt21qzb
— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) 29 May 2016
Despite winning, Gasquet produced fewer winners than his Japanese opponent (36-40). The telling factor was his unforced error count, which was just 19 compared to Nishikori’s costly 45.
“I didn’t start well in the match,” Gasquet candidly admitted during his on-court interview.
“It was very hard for Nishikori to play against the crowd and thank-you for supporting me.” He later added about the support from the crowd.
The turning point of the match occurred after the rain delay. Gasquet said that he was helped by words said by one of the members of his coaching team, Sergi Bruguera.
“Sergi talked a lot, I like to thank him and it’s true that he has pushed me (in my game).” The 29-year-old said.
“He said that I had to go after it, be aggressive and go after the ball.”
Those inspiration words along with some sensational play takes Gasquet to a last eight encounter with second seed Andy Murray. Murray moved to the quarter-finals with a straight-sets win over John Isner. Gasquet has played the Brit twice last year (Paris and Cincinnati Masters), losing both matches in three sets.
Gasquet will now play in only his fifth grand slam quarter-final. This year’s French Open is his 46th appearance in the main draw of a major tournament.
Gasquet at #RolandGarros
02′ R1
03′ R1
04′ R1
05′ R3
06′ R2
07′ R2
08′ –
09′ –
10′ R1
11′ R4
12′ R4
13′ R4
14′ R3
15′ R4
16′ – QF (!)— José Morgado (@josemorgado) 29 May 2016
