Richard Gasquet, 38 and a wild card, wins opener in final Monte Carlo Masters
Twenty-three years after his tournament debut, the veteran was a three-set winner over Matteo Arnaldi.
MONACO (AP) — Veteran Richard Gasquet beat Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 Sunday to reach the second round of the Monte Carlo Masters as he makes his last appearance at the tournament.
The 38-year-old Frenchman is retiring at the end of the season and was given a wild card entry at the clay-court tournament where he shot to prominence 20 years ago, beating Roger Federer in a thrilling quarterfinal.
Gasquet then narrowly lost the semifinal to Rafael Nadal, and didn't fulfill his potential in a what-might-have-been career as one of the most technically gifted players of his generation.
Armed with an exquisite one-handed backhand that tennis purists admired, Gasquet struggled against leading players, including a 2-19 head-to-head record against Roger Federer. He lost all 18 matches to Nadal and 13 of 14 matches against Novak Djokovic.
Against Arnaldi, Gasquet conceded 11 break points. But the No. 39-ranked Italian converted only three and dropped his service five times as Gasquet targeted his second serve.
Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, a wild card entry ranked 259th, joined Gasquet in the second round with an upset 6-2, 6-1 win over Jan-Lennard Struff.
It was only the ninth career win on the ATP tour for Vacherot, who proved the better server. He did not face a break point, hit five aces and won 85% of first-serve points.
Jordan Thompson of Australia faced big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard later Sunday.