04/15/02
The New French Wonder
http://www.masters-series.com/montecarlo/news/gasquet.asp

The Battle of the Ages took on a whole new meaning in the
first round of the Tennis Masters Monte Carlo on Monday
when 15-year-old French qualifier Richard Gasquet defeated
Franco Squillari 7-6(5) 3-6, 7-5. Two months shy of his
16th birthday, Gasquet became the youngest player to win an
ATP main draw match since Tommy Ho, at 15 years, 2 months
defeated Matt Anger) in Rye Brook, N.Y. in August 1988.

It was Gasquet's third impressive victory in a row following
his back-to-back straight-sets wins over Nikolay Davydenko
and Adrian Voinea in the qualifying competition, in which
he was given a wild card by tournament organizers. By
qualifying, he became the youngest ever player at a Tennis
Masters Series event.

"It's a dream," said Gasquet, who lives in Paris and trains
at the French Tennis Federation. "Winning three matches like
this, winning in the first round of the main draw, it's
extraordinary."

Squillari, 11 years Gasquet's senior, won 26 matches on clay
in 2001 - the fourth highest on the ATP circuit. But the
Argentine was powerless against Gasquet's impressive clay
court game that belied his tender years.

Playing deep from behind the baseline, Gasquet slid across
Court Central at the Monte Carlo Country Club like he had
been there 100 times before. With his one-handed backhand
and heavily top-spun forehand, Gasquet kept Squillari honest,
chasing down every shot and forcing Squillari into errors.

As the first set entered the tie-break, the curious French
crowd began to turn into an expectant one as their new hero
took a crucial lead with a service winner on 49 minutes.

"I started to get nervous after the first set," said Gasquet.
"That's when I started to think that I could win the match,
and by the third set, I was not hitting the shots as freely."

But evidence of his nerves was hard to come by. As Squillari
took the second set and broke to lead 1-0 in the third, it
seemed as though the youngster's run was nearing its end.
Far from it. Gasquet continued to frustrate Squillari into
making more forced errors, and despite needing a medical
timeout for blisters on his hand, the Frenchman won three
games in a row to take charge. More service trades eventually
saw matters levelled at 4-4, and with the crowd chanting his
name, Gasquet finally achieved the unthinkable in the 12th
game of the set, breaking Squillari to love to achieve the
biggest victory of what promises to be an exciting career
in 2 hours, 25 minutes.

Gasquet, whose parents are both tennis coaches in France,
now faces either Marat Safin or Tommy Robredo in the second
round. "I'm pleased to have a day off tomorrow," said
Gasquet. "When you are playing either Safin or Robredo, I
will need a day off to prepare."