By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 16, 2019
Richard Gasquet topped Roberto Bautista Agut, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2, to reach his first Western & Southern Open semifinal in his 13th Cincinnati appearance.
Photo credit: Patrice Lapointe/Tennis Canada/Coupe Rogers Facebook
Patience and restraint marked Richard Gasquet’s return from groin surgery this season.
Facing a final set against one of tennis’ fittest players on a toasty Friday afternoon, Gasquet was in no mood to play the waiting game.
More: Federer on US Open Preparation
The 33-year-old Frenchman unleashed a stylish all-court attack battling by Roberto Bautista Agut, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2, into his first Western & Southern Open semifinal in his 13th Cincinnati appearance.
A week after Gasquet fell to Bautista Agut, 7-5, 7-5 in Montreal, he fought off five of seven break points and employed slick net skills surging through the final set.
“My energy was a little bit low, but I had to fight as much as I could if I want to win against this kind of guy,” Gasquet told ESPN’s Brad Gilbert afterward. “I played offensive. Of course, it’s a great match for me to beat Roberto, especially (since) I stopped six months at the start of the year.
“So of course it’s great for me to be here. I’m happy to fight. I want to enjoy. I’m coming for 13 years so it’s crazy for me to reach the semis at 33.”
It was Gasquet’s first win over the Wimbledon semifinalist since the 2015 Dubai as he snapped a seven-match losing streak in Masters 1000 semifinals.
The Frenchman underwent groin surgery on January 18th, which sidelined him until his 2019 debut in Madrid last May. Recovering from surgery, Gasquet’s ranking fell to No. 68 on July 29th—his lowest ranking in nine years.
Gasquet was gimpy and concedes he was "scared" after surgery, but never lost his belief in a comeback.
"My plan was not to retire, but of course I was scared," Gasquet said. "You never know what can happen when you have surgery. You never know if you're gonna play again. It was my case. Sometimes it was tough even to walk after a hit.
"Yeah, I had tough moments but I practiced a lot. I tried to recover, to play matches and matches. Day after day I felt better. Last week was good winning Nishikori, as I said. I felt more confident. I felt I could play on this level. It made the difference."
Gasquet will try to continue his ascent when he faces David Goffin for a spot in Sunday’s final. The pair have split two prior meetings.
The 19th-ranked Goffin advanced to his second straight Cincinnati semifinal when scheduled quarterfinal opponent Yoshihito Nishioka withdrew due to food poisoning.
“Goffin I know it’s a tough guy—one of the best players playing fast from the baseline,” Gasquet said. “Of course it will be a battle for me. I’m ready to play ready to fight and I will try my best.”
"It will be tough. He's a great player. He's playing very fast. I need to recover now a little bit and of course to be ready for tomorrow, because as I said, he doesn't miss. He's playing fast, especially with the backhand. It will be a tough battle for me. It's the semis. I have nothing to lose, so I try my best."
Gasquet pressed the issue and imposed his backhand and volley to take the final set.
The 11th-ranked Bautista Agut continued to play the diagonal forehand challenging the Frenchman’s wondrous one-handed backhand and paid the price.
Moving up quickly to a mid-court ball, Gasquet held his shot then whipped his one-hander into the corner for break points. Shoveling a forehand down the line, Gasquet earned the insurance break for a 4-1 decider.
Serving for his first Cincinnati semifinal, Gasquet slashed successive aces and curled a crosscourt forehand celebrating a couple of match points with a clenched fist.
A clean backhand winner closed perhaps Gasquet’s finest performance of the season in two hours, 13 minutes sending him into his first Masters semifinal since the 2013 Miami.