Back On Top: Gasquet Wins Auckland Title With Late Charge

Richard Gasquet turned back the clock with a vintage display in Saturday’s ASB Classic final to claim his first ATP Tour title since 2018. The 36-year-old Frenchman stunned second seed and former Auckland resident Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, winning the final five games of the match to become the oldest champion in the event’s 66-year history.

The former World No. 7 last raised a tour-level title more than four years ago in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. The Auckland triumph, which lifted him 25 spots to No. 42 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week, is just the second outdoor hard court triumph of his career (Doha 2013). It is the 16th title of his decorated career.

Gasquet denied Norrie a full-circle moment at the tournament he once attended as a young fan, with the Briton thwarted in the final of the ATP 250 for a second time in five years. The defeat is his first of the new season, dropping him to 6-1 on the year.

In a matchup that pitted Gasquet’s iconic one-handed backhand against Norrie’s flat two-hander, the Frenchman proved he still has plenty of substance to go along with his style. Both men had countless opportunities to hit groundstrokes off both wings across many marathon rallies, but it was Gasquet who stood tallest down the stretch after falling behind 0-3 and 1-4 in the final set.

Against a man known for his fitness, the Frenchman was electric in his late charge as he attacked with the shotmaking flair that has defined career — but only after his dogged defending brought up those opportunities to step into the court. 

Gasquet’s victory keeps the Auckland title in French hands, after Ugo Humbert won the previous edition of the event in 2020. The tournament was not played in the past two seasons due to COVID-19.

Norrie, whose six wins lead the ATP Tour on the young season, falls to 4-8 in tour-level finals. He reached his first final in Auckland in 2019, falling to Tennys Sandgren.

More to come…