Gasquet Lifts Montpellier Crown After Janowicz Retires

Gasquet Lifts Montpellier Crown After Janowicz Retires

  • Posted: Feb 09, 2015

Richard Gasquet14 Gasquet Lifts Montpellier Crown After Janowicz Retires

 

While there wasn’t much of a match played on Sunday, Richard Gasquet successfully lifted his second title in Montpellier after the Polish No. 1 Jerzy Janowicz retired just four games into the match.

The Frechman needed just three games to win the match, as Janowicz was forced to retire from the contest with an illness. Gasquet won the vast majority of the points played and held a 3-0 lead with 14 consecutive points won before Janowicz decided to surrender the match.

“I knew he was sick when we were warming up. I saw very quickly at the beginning of the match that he couldn’t play at all,” said Gasquet. “Anything can happen, so even though I knew he was sick, I stayed focused. I had a great week, with solid matches. It’s good for the rest of the season. I felt that I played well this week. I feel 100 per cent and ready for the season.”

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Janowicz, who was one of the top prospects in discussion back in 2012, is yet to win his maiden title on the ATP World Tour.

“I’m extremely disappointed because I felt pretty OK the whole week,” said Janowicz. “I saved six match points in the first round and after that I played pretty good tennis. Two days ago, I got sick. I haven’t slept in almost two days. I had a fever and the flu and I’m so weak. There was not much that I could do today.”

For the 28-year-old Gasquet, this was his eleventh title on the ATP World Tour and is now 10-12 in finals. It was his best performance of the season to date, following a third round Aussie Open exit and quarter-final loss in Doha. He will look to carry on in his current form following a humdrum 2014 season.