Montreal (AFP)
Richard Gasquet of France, ranked 66th in the world, qualified for the 8th finals of the Masters 1000 Montreal tournament by surprising Japanese Kei Nishikori (N.6) 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 7- 6 (7/4), Wednesday, in a second round match disturbed by the rain.
Gasquet, 33, is looking for his first title in 2019 after having already won 15 in his career, against 12 in the Japanese, including one earlier this year in Brisbane. In twelve confrontations, the French won eight times against the Japanese.
The rain-interrupted game played on details in the final set, with Gasquet serving for the first time at 5-4, but without being able to conclude, and Nishikori logically tied at 5-5. . In an 11th highly contested game, with several ties and two break points for the French, it is the Japanese who has retained his faceoff to take the lead 6-5.
And as Gasquet did not falter, everything was played in the decisive game where the French led 2-1, then 4-1, before letting his opponent back to 4-4. Finally, Gasquet concluded his first match point after 3 hours and nine minutes of combat.
For a place in the quarter-finals, Gasquet will face Argentina's Diego Schwartzman (23rd) or Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut (13th).
Two other French will enter the lists in the evening: Adrian Mannarino (69th) against the Croatian Borna Coric (14th) and Gael Monfils (20th) before the Belarusian Ilya Ivashka (125th).
© 2019 AFP