Richard Gasquet has won the inaugural European Open in Antwerp after defeating Diego Schwartzman 7-6(4), 6-4, in the final.
The French third seed endured a testing opening set where he squandered a 5-4, 40-0, lead after his Argentine rival battled back to force a tiebreak. Taming the comeback bid by Schwartzman, Gasquet managed to edge his way to take the tiebreaker before storming to a five-game winning streak on his way to claiming his second title of the season.
“It was not an easy final. Schwartzman took the initiative and forced me into a tough tiebreak. In the second set I had more confidence and I played more liberated. I could then easily finish the game.” Gasquet said during his press conference. “Next year I’ll be back to defend my title.”
Gasquet was relentless on his serve throughout the match, dropping just four points being his first serve (29/33). Clinching the 14th title of his career, the 30-year-old have further consolidated his place as the second most decorated French player of all time on the ATP Tour. The most decorated is Yannick Noah, who won with 23 titles between 1978-1990.
“I’m very happy with the week. All the matches were tough and there were a lot of great players here. It’s always nice to have a title.” Said the Frenchman, who clinched the title without facing a single seeded player.
Settling for runner-up, Schwartzman leaves Antwerp was a fresh burst of confidence following his run to the final. The Argentine downed fourth seed Pablo Cuevas and top seed David Goffin on route to his first ever indoor final and second ATP final of the year after Istanbul.
“I am happy because the week was really good for me,” Schwartzman was quoted by atpworldtour.com as saying. “I played a great first set and fought back. The tie-break was really close. Richard improved a lot in the second set and played really well.
“It’s my second final of the year and my first on indoor hard courts. I’ve improved a lot. It’s really nice for me. I stayed focused.”
Schwartzman will now rise to a career ranking high of 54th in the world.
Carreno Busta Shines in Moscow
2,500km away from Antwerp in Moscow, Pablo Carreno Busta has become the first Spanish male to win the Kremlin Cup after downing a lacklustre Fabio Fognini 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The Spanish sixth seed, who also didn’t play a seeded player throughout the tournament, hit just 15 winners in what was an error-stricken match for both players. Carreno Busta’s error count of 41 was exceeded by Fognini’s 48 as the Italian’s fragile mentality wobbled towards the closing stages of the match.
It wasn’t just Fognini that Carreno Busta had to deal with after suffering an injury scare during the second set. Leading 4-1, the Spaniard pulled up sharply during one of the rallies and received medical attention on his right leg. Despite the scare, he managed to regain his composure to win his second title of the season after Winston-Salem.
Apart from receiving a cheque for $126,850, Carreno Busta is set set to rise to 32nd in the world and be on the verge of grabbing a seeded position for next January’s Australian Open.
#CarrenoBusta pic.twitter.com/xyX1fKsB5V
— doublefault28 (@doublefault28) 23 October 2016
