3fees
G.O.A.T.
Ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka produced nerveless tennis on Monday to reach the Roland Garros quarter-finals, where he will meet third seed and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal.
Wawrinka recovered from an 0-2 sets deficit for the sixth time in his career with a 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen in four hours and 15 minutes. It was the pair’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head series meeting since the 2006 BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.
“I played the best level I ever played at,” said Wawrinka, who is through to the quarter-finals in Paris for the first time. He will have to overturn an 0-9 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Nadal if he is to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. The Spaniard won their most recent contest in straight sets in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open last month.
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In a vintage display of shotmaking from both players, there were 149 winners struck, with 92 of those coming from the racquet of Wawrinka. Wawrinka was only able to convert on four of his 20 break points, but had the edge on Gasquet physically in the closing stages to pull off a dramatic comeback.
Gasquet saved seven break points in a tense opening set before rallying from a 1-3 deficit in the deciding tie-break to clinch the opener. Fired up from the raucous support of his home crowd, Gasquet capitalised on his momentum and surged into a double break lead in the second set as Wawrinka received treatment on his left thigh.
It was a nervy end to the set as Gasquet lost one of his breaks and was forced to save a break point in the 10th game. But, seeking to reach the last eight at Roland Garros for the first time, Gasquet held his nerve and closed out the two-set lead.
Wawrinka secured the only break of the third set, breaking Gasquet to 15 in the 10th game to claw his way back into the match and setting the stage for what would be a staggering display of tennis in the final two sets.
In an incredible passage of play during the eighth and ninth games of the fourth set, Gasquet saved six break points to level at 4-4, reaping the reward of going for broke on the big points as chants of “Richard, Richard” carried into the Parisian evening. He was then denied on two break points in the following game as Wawrinka matched him winner for winner.
Gasquet missed another opportunity to break at 5-5 and was made to pay the price in the following game as Wawrinka engineered a set point, which he converted with a rifling forehand winner down the line.
In arguably the decisive game of the match, Gasquet gritted his teeth through the growing stiffness and pain in his legs to earn a 15/40 lead on Wawrinka’s serve at 5-5 in the fifth set. He could convert neither opportunity, though, and seemed a largely spent force as the Swiss then broke in the 14th game, clinching victory, fittingly, with a forehand winner.
Gasquet has now bowed out in the fourth round at eight of the past nine Grand Slams. His defeat leaves Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as France’s lone hope of producing its first male champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983. Tsonga faces Roger Federer in Tuesday’s quarter-finals.
"I had so many opportunities. He played incredible. It was not my day. The crowd was incredible. They supported me, and they did what they had to do. But I'm disappointed to have lost. I can't give more than I gave today.
"He was fresher than I was. He was serving first serves at more than 215 kilometres. After two hours, that's huge. He took his chances. He's such a great player, one of the best ones I've ever played. We were really close. I could have reached the quarter-finals, I know. I was so close.
"But then, after all, that's sports. You need to have a loser. This evening I was the loser. I thought I would be winning this match several times."
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/06/23/Roland-Garros-Monday2-Gasquet-Wawrinka.aspx
Wawrinka recovered from an 0-2 sets deficit for the sixth time in his career with a 6-7(5), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 8-6 victory on Court Suzanne Lenglen in four hours and 15 minutes. It was the pair’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head series meeting since the 2006 BNP Paribas Masters in Paris.
“I played the best level I ever played at,” said Wawrinka, who is through to the quarter-finals in Paris for the first time. He will have to overturn an 0-9 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Nadal if he is to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final. The Spaniard won their most recent contest in straight sets in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open last month.
______________________________________________________________
In a vintage display of shotmaking from both players, there were 149 winners struck, with 92 of those coming from the racquet of Wawrinka. Wawrinka was only able to convert on four of his 20 break points, but had the edge on Gasquet physically in the closing stages to pull off a dramatic comeback.
Gasquet saved seven break points in a tense opening set before rallying from a 1-3 deficit in the deciding tie-break to clinch the opener. Fired up from the raucous support of his home crowd, Gasquet capitalised on his momentum and surged into a double break lead in the second set as Wawrinka received treatment on his left thigh.
It was a nervy end to the set as Gasquet lost one of his breaks and was forced to save a break point in the 10th game. But, seeking to reach the last eight at Roland Garros for the first time, Gasquet held his nerve and closed out the two-set lead.
Wawrinka secured the only break of the third set, breaking Gasquet to 15 in the 10th game to claw his way back into the match and setting the stage for what would be a staggering display of tennis in the final two sets.
In an incredible passage of play during the eighth and ninth games of the fourth set, Gasquet saved six break points to level at 4-4, reaping the reward of going for broke on the big points as chants of “Richard, Richard” carried into the Parisian evening. He was then denied on two break points in the following game as Wawrinka matched him winner for winner.
Gasquet missed another opportunity to break at 5-5 and was made to pay the price in the following game as Wawrinka engineered a set point, which he converted with a rifling forehand winner down the line.
In arguably the decisive game of the match, Gasquet gritted his teeth through the growing stiffness and pain in his legs to earn a 15/40 lead on Wawrinka’s serve at 5-5 in the fifth set. He could convert neither opportunity, though, and seemed a largely spent force as the Swiss then broke in the 14th game, clinching victory, fittingly, with a forehand winner.
Gasquet has now bowed out in the fourth round at eight of the past nine Grand Slams. His defeat leaves Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as France’s lone hope of producing its first male champion at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983. Tsonga faces Roger Federer in Tuesday’s quarter-finals.
"I had so many opportunities. He played incredible. It was not my day. The crowd was incredible. They supported me, and they did what they had to do. But I'm disappointed to have lost. I can't give more than I gave today.
"He was fresher than I was. He was serving first serves at more than 215 kilometres. After two hours, that's huge. He took his chances. He's such a great player, one of the best ones I've ever played. We were really close. I could have reached the quarter-finals, I know. I was so close.
"But then, after all, that's sports. You need to have a loser. This evening I was the loser. I thought I would be winning this match several times."
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/06/23/Roland-Garros-Monday2-Gasquet-Wawrinka.aspx
