(Auckland) Richard Gasquet overthrew world No. 12 Cameron Norrie on Saturday in the final of the ATP 250 tournament in Auckland (4-6, 6-4, 6-4) and thus won the 16e title of his career, the first since June 2018.
The 36-year-old Frenchman reacted perfectly after letting the first set slip away on a failed service game. He will return on Monday top 50, which it was released in April 2021.
Gasquet, another 67e in the ATP rankings for a few days, erased three games from a deficit in the third set, before breaking his 27-year-old British opponent in the ninth game.
He then converted his only match point with a well-controlled volley, to win his first final since July 2021 and his first trophy since ‘s-Hertogenbosch in June 2018.
Gasquet, who is one of the veterans of the circuit, was able to settle his second serves, which were faulty and at the origin of the loss of the first round.
He also stayed focused after wasting a set point at 5-3 in the second set on Norrie’s serve. But it was only a postponement, the Frenchman having managed a white game in stride.
Opposite, Cameron Norrie, who had nevertheless made a strong impression by beating Rafael Nadal during the United Cup at the end of December, was less sharp as the meeting progressed.
On the strength of this victory, Richard Gasquet will enter the Australian Open on Tuesday against his compatriot Ugo Humbert.