Miami Open: Tsitsipas debuts with Gasquet

Frenchman and world No. 40 Richard Gasquet meets Stefanos Tsitsipas in his debut at the Miami Open after the 36-year-old defeated Australia’s lucky loser Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 after an hour and 50 minutes of play.

The Frenchman was outstanding after the first serve, winning 84% of the points (43/51), erasing 4/5 of the Australian’s break points while taking 3 of 5 break chances.

In the first set, Gasquet needed a quick break (2-1) and went on to take a 1-0 lead with 94% of the points won in the first serve (16/17). In the 2nd set, the serve didn’t help the 36-year-old, O’Connell took advantage of it and broke Gasquet’s serve at the beginning (2-0), took the 2nd leg, equalized to 1-1 and conceded only three points in the 1st .Serve.

The decision was a one-man show, with Gasquet hitting 74% of first serves and winning all points (14/14) and committing just 2 unforced errors to end the qualifier comfortably (6-1), reflecting his presence secured in the next phase.

There he finds Stefanos Tsitsipas in an interesting duel of two one-handed backhands, with the two tennis players each scoring a win in the matches between them that took place in 2018.

SOURCE: Tennis24