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The 5 Live Tennis team present reaction to the latest news from the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
The 5 Live Tennis team present reaction to the latest news from the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
It felt as if it was a full-circle moment for Richard Gasquet on Monday at the Moselle Open.
The 38-year-old, who made the first of his 33 ATP Tour finals in Metz, secured a thrilling opening-round comeback against Thiago Monteiro to stay alive in his final campaign at the tournament. Gasquet saved a match point to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(6) and record his first tour-level win since May.
“It’s important for me to play here, it’s the last time I’m playing in Metz, so I want to do well,” said Gasquet, who is retiring at the conclusion of Roland Garros 2025. “It’s a big honour for me [to receive a wild card].
“I am really happy with the way I played, the way I felt, so it’s a big win for me. Everything started here [in Metz]. It’s where I reached my first ATP Tour final. I have great memories playing here, so I am really happy with the way I played today.”
Resilience personified 👏@richardgasquet1 completes a miraculous comeback, saving a MP, moving past Monteiro in a three-set thriller 4-6 6-4 7-6(6)! @MoselleOpen | #MoselleOpen pic.twitter.com/tMVDRarI7l
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 4, 2024
Gasquet, the former No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings, produced a clinical performance on serve throughout the match. The wild card, however, was particularly dialled in during the final set, during which he won 19 out of 20 points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
After improving to 16-10 in Metz, Gasquet will face #NextGenATP star Alex Michelsen in the second round.
Elsewhere, Cameron Norrie battled from the brink of defeat to record his first tour-level win since July. The 29-year-old trailed a break in the deciding set, but dug deep for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Roberto Carballes Baena.
“I was happy with the way I turned it around, it’s nice to get a win after my injury,” said Norrie who picked up a forearm injury that kept him out of the Olympics and the North American hard-court swing.
“He fought really hard today, he’s a great competitor. I managed to get a little bit lucky in the third set, and I had some good support. It was nice to get over the line in the end.”
Norrie, who is just the second British singles player in Metz tournament history (Andy Murray, 2007 & 2021), will next face third seed Grigor Dimitrov.
[ATP APP]On a day of French success, lucky loser Pierre-Hugues Herbert stood firm to defeat sixth seed Pedro Martinez 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(4). The 33-year-old’s triumph in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head series was his first tour-level win since reaching the semi-finals in Metz as a wild card in 2023.
Aiming to emulate that success, Herbert will next battle countryman Quentin Halys in the second round.
Seventh seed Jan-Lennard Struff got his campaign underway with an inspired comeback triumph against Alexander Shevchenko. The German trailed by a set and 3-0, but dug deep for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win, setting up a second-round clash with Corentin Moutet.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Marin Cilic returned to winning ways on the ATP Tour on Monday with an opening-round triumph at the Belgrade Open.
The 36-year-old saved each of the two break points he faced in a clinical second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over Alexandre Muller. It was Cilic’s first tour-level win of 2024, outside of his run to the title in Hangzhou in September.
“I felt good, but when you haven’t played for a while it’s [important] to find that intensity,” said Cilic, the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I needed to find that balance today, and it took me a while to get used to the conditions and the balls.
“After 30 minutes, I started to feel great on the court, hitting, moving, serving. From there until the end of the match was fantastic, I felt really nice on the court.”
After powering past Muller, the World No. 68, and snapping his four-match losing streak, Cilic will face fourth seed Jiri Lehecka in the second round.
[ATP APP]Elsewhere, Dusan Lajovic recorded his first tour-level win since reaching the quarter-finals in Umag in July. The 34-year-old, who has been recovering from an injury sustained at the Davis Cup, surged to a 6-0, 7-6(3) win to upset ninth seed Mariano Navone.
“I didn’t expect this kind of first set,” said Lajovic. “I didn’t think I was going to play until the end of the season. I’m not 100% yet, but I’m good enough to compete. I’m getting my groove back so I am happy to win the match.”
In the second round of his home tournament, the Serbian will take on Fabian Marozsan, who came from behind to defeat #NextGenATP star Shang Juncheng on Sunday.
In a battle of two qualifiers, Denis Shapovalov rallied to move past Marton Fucsovics 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-1. After levelling the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2, the former World No. 10 has set up a second-round clash against fifth seed Nuno Borges.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Elena Rybakina is on the cusp of becoming the first player to be eliminated from the WTA Finals after defeat by Zheng Qinwen.
With the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin reaching its final week, the battle to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals will be finalised in Belgrade and Metz. Sixth-placed Novak Djokovic (3,910 points), seventh-placed Casper Ruud (3,855), eighth-placed Alex de Minaur (3,745) and ninth-placed Andrey Rublev (3,720) are battling for two spots.
Following the Rolex Paris Masters and ahead of the final week of the regular season, ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as of Monday, 4 November.
View PIF ATP Live Race To Turin
Casper Ruud – Seventh (3,855 points)
The Norwegian arrives in Metz with his Turin fate in his own hands. Ruud, who lost in his opening match in Paris, will qualify for the prestigious year-end event if he reaches the semi-finals at the ATP 250. Ruud is chasing his third appearance in Turin, having advanced to the final in 2022.
Alex de Minaur – Eighth (3,745 points)
The Aussie is in the final qualification spot after climbing one place following his run to the quarter-finals in Paris. De Minaur, who is hoping to make his debut in Turin, will qualify for the year-end event if he wins the title in Belgrade or matches Rublev’s result in Metz.
Andrey Rublev – Ninth (3,720 points)
Rublev is outside the qualification cut heading into the final week of the regular season. The 27-year-old, who has won two tour-level titles in 2024, trails De Minaur by 25 points. Rublev competes in Metz this week with Ruud.
Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz have already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]