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By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, May 29, 2016

 
Richard Gasquet

On his 13th attempt, Richard Gasquet reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory over fifth-seeded Kei Nishikori.

Photo credit: Julien Crosnier/FFT

Eyes riveted on the incoming ball as if inspecting its label, Richard Gasquet turned his shoulders into a sweeping backhand down the line, watched Kei Nishikori's reply rattle the net then dropped flat on his back in joy.

The 29-year-old Gasquet didn't just embrace the most meaningful win of his Roland Garros career, he bathed in it like a man reveling in an oasis.

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In his 13th attempt, Gasquet reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the first time sending French fans into a frenzy with a 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory over the fifth-seeded Nishikori.

Gasquet tops the Open Era list for most attempts before reaching the last eight in Paris and celebrated with a red clay splash that left a swath of terre battue between the shoulder blades of his red, white and blue shirt.



Gasquet completed the long journey to the quarterfinals by beating Nishikori in extended rallies.

Playing heavy topspin and deep angles to exploit damp, heavy conditions, Gasquet drained 45 errors from the normally clean-striking Nishikori. The Frenchman frequently tormented Nishikori with that jolting one-handed backhand down the line and repeatedly ran down the 2015 quarterfinalist's drop shot attempts.

Nishikori started out strong, but then came a lengthy rain delay and Gasquet's recalibration that wrote the Japanese out of the tournament.

Down 2-4 when the rain delay came, Gasquet returned recharged breaking twice in succession to take the opening set on a four-game run.





Gasquet broke to open the fourth set and backed up the break at 15 for 2-0. Nishikori looked reluctant engaging Gasquet in longer rallies and often pulled the trigger prematurely seeking an early end to points.

Shaking his legs and right arm between points like a man suffering from the shivers, Nishikori couldn't hit through Gasquet so he tried playing closer to the lines.

Slapping a forehand into net, the former US Open finalist dropped serve again as Gasquet broke again for 4-1.

Standing between the 12th-ranked Frenchman and a trip to the French Open final four is three-time semifinalist Andy Murray.

The world No. 2 saved a set point in the opening set deconstructing 6'10" John Isner, 7-6 (9), 6-4, 6-3, one round after taking down 6'11" Ivo Karlovic.

Murray extended his winning streak to nine matches advancing to his 20th quarterfinal in his last 21 Grand Slam events.


 

When it's all a blur. #InsideRG #RG16

A photo posted by Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) on



The Rome champion has won seven of 10 meetings with Gasquet, including five in a row with the Frenchman's last win coming in the 2012 Rome round of 16.

The match pits two of the best backhands in the sport—Gasquet's rhythmic, fluid one-hander vs. Murray's versatile, compact two-hander—and two players who know how to carve out creative clay-court angles.

This will be their third Roland Garros meeting. Murray roared back from a two-set deficit to defeat Gasquet in the 2010 first round and dispatched Gasquet in four sets in the 2012 round of 16.


 

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