Dubai: Richard Gasquet shook off a gritty Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-7 (1), 6-4 to move into the second round at the Dubai Duty Free Men’s Open here late on Monday.
Monday night was the sixth meeting between the two players going back to their first one in 2005 – the only time the Italian had won. Gasquet had then taken the next four wins with the fourth one coming in four sets at the 2012 Australian Open.
Gasquet will now play the winner of the match between seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain and Austrian Dominic Thiem, and a win in the second round may line him up for a quarter-final against Roger Federer.
It was Gasquet who started off strongly with a break in the second game in-between two held serves for an early 3-0 cushion. But the Frenchman blew it away allowing Seppi to fight back and draw level 4-4. However, one more break in the tenth game and Gasquet was home 6-4 in 39 minutes.
In the second set things turned around with Seppi – who had stunned world number two Roger Federer at last month’s Australian Open - suddenly raising his game to force a tie-breaker that he went on to win quite convincingly 7-1 to push for a deciding third set.
Gasquet was more in control in the third as he broke Seppi early only to see the Italian break back and edge clear 3-2. But the higher ranked Frenchman was there again with a couple of breaks in the seventh and ninth games to go clear and serve out set and match 6-4 in two hours and 21 minutes.
Action will continue on Day Two with world number one Novak Djokovic taking on Vasek Pospisil at 7 pm after Tomas Berdych has played Jeremy Chardy at 2 pm and Andy Murray has squared up against Gilles Muller at 4 pm.
