Gasquet dismisses Arnaldi and prolongs the enjoyment at the Monte-Carlo Masters 1000

Invited by the organizers of the Monte-Carlo tournament, Richard Gasquet is participating for the last time in his career at the Monaco event before retiring in a few weeks at Roland-Garros. On the Rainier III court this Sunday, the 38-year-old Frenchman faced a challenging first round against Matteo Arnaldi.

Twenty-three years after his first appearance in this tournament, Gasquet needed a standout performance to win. Solid throughout the match (28 unforced errors, compared to 53 for his opponent), Gasquet was the more enterprising player in the first set. With three breaks, he logically turned the tide in his favor and took the first set.

However, the world's 39th-ranked player did not give up. Serious and focused, he settled for a single break in the second set to level the match and take it to a decisive third set with all the risks involved.

Even though Gasquet is no longer the player he once was a few years ago, he has the necessary experience for such matches, and Arnaldi bitterly experienced this during the crucial moments.

Up to 4-3 Gasquet, servers were dominant, but everything changed as the last three games concluded with breaks. Despite being two points away from victory on his serve at 5-3, Gasquet had a scare as he committed a double fault, followed by Arnaldi’s winning backhand passing shot that reignited the contest.

Nonetheless, Gasquet, spurred on by the crowd, continued and put pressure on his opponent. Although the Italian perfectly saved the first match point at the net, he was guilty of a double fault that confirmed Richard Gasquet's victory (6-3, 4-6, 6-4).

The Biterrois will face in the second round the winner of the encounter between Félix Auger-Aliassime and Daniel Altmaier, a German player coming from the qualifiers, further extending the enjoyment of his last appearance at Monte-Carlo.