Andy Murray vs. Richard Gasquet: Score and Reaction from 2016 French Open

Andy Murray was hot and cold throughout the early stages of Wednesday’s French Open quarterfinal clash with Richard Gasquet, but he found his groove late and captured a 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-0, 6-2 victory to snag a spot in the semifinals at Roland Garros. 

Murray improved to 8-3 all-time against Gasquet with the win and has now won six straight against the Frenchman ever since losing to him at the 2012 Masters in Rome. 

It would have been reasonable to expect Murray to show signs of fatigue after he opened his French Open with back-to-back five-set matches against Radek Stepanek and Mathias Bourgue, but the No. 2 seed looked surprisingly fresh from the get-go. 

Specifically, Murray broke Gasquet on the Frenchman’s first service game of the match and assumed a quick 3-0 lead after holding down the fort on serve early. However, Gasquet was able to break through on a few occasions and slowly build momentum with crafty returns, as Roland Garros’ official Twitter account documented: 

Malgré cette belle contre amortie de Gasquet, le français reste mené 4 à 1 dans le 1er set #RG16 https://t.co/wkNzjxpbCz

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2016

In fact, Gasquet was able to force deuce and bring a break point within sight down 4-2 in the first set thanks, in part, to a gorgeous string of volleys, per the tournament’s Twitter account: 

Beautiful volley from Gasquet / A l’aise à la volée Richie ! #RG16 https://t.co/jNPF5nbApq

— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2016

Murray would go on to hold for a brief 5-2 lead, but Gasquet battled back and eventually secured his first break point of the match to close the gap to 5-4 …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com