Article

  • Tokyo third round - Gasquet takes on crowd favorite Nishikori

    10/2/08 4:29 AM | Cheryl Murray
    - The marquee match on Thursday is sure to be Richard Gasquet versus Kei Nishikori. Gasquet is still looking for his first title of the year.

    Kei Nishikori surprised the tennis world earlier this year when, out of nowhere, he won the tournament in Delray Beach. More surprising still is that he beat American veteran James Blake in the final. Most recently he advanced to the round of 16 at the US Open, taking out 2007 semifinalist David Ferrer along the way.

    Richard Gasquet has not won a tournament yet this year and more importantly he struggled at Grand Slams. He withdrew completely from the French Open, having put in a dismal clay season. He cited pressure and stress as the reason for not playing at Roland Garros. He advanced to the round of 16 at Wimbledon , but he was defending semifinal points from 2007. Most recently he suffered a first-round defeat at the US Open at the hands of Germany’s Tommy Haas.

    Gasquet has never dealt with pressure well, and playing Nishikori with all of the crowd behind him might be enough to give Nishikori the upset win. Nishikori in three.

Tell a friend »

Comments


Write comment

You have to be logged in to comment. If you do not have an account, click here to register. It only takes a minute and you'll be redirected back to this page.
Username:

Password: