Using his beautiful one-handed backhand and showing surprising character and resolve, Frenchman Richard Gasquet defeated French Open champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-4 11-9 on Court 1 in the Wimbledon quarterfinals to advance to his 3rd career Grand Slam semifinal and first at Wimbledon since 2007.
Gasquet wins epic to advance to 2nd Wimbledon semifinal
The Frenchman looked poised and confident throughout, using his variety of chipping and charging and slicing his trademark backhand to keep the ball low on the Swiss. It worked to perfection as he took the opening set 6-4.
Wawrinka started fast in the 2nd set, racing out to a 3-0 lead only to see the Frenchman break back at 3-1. The set stayed on serve until Gasquet showed his first bit of nerves, double-faulting on set point to give Wawrinka the 2nd set 6-4 and level the match at a set all.
The #4 seed started quickly in the 3rd, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and winning the set 6-3 to take a 2 sets to 1 lead.
The 4th set went predictably on serve until Wawrinka cracked for the first time, double-faulting on set point at 4-5 just as Gasquet did in the 2nd set to hand the Frenchman the 4th set 6-4 and level the match at 2 sets all.
The 5th set was brilliantly played by both men as Gasquet had 19 winners to 8 unforced errors while Wawrinka struck 24 winners to just 17 unforced. The Frenchman broke to take a 5-3 lead, only to see the Swiss break back to stay in the match. He proceeded to hold 5 more times until 9-10 when Gasquet wrapped up the match with a final break. After Wawrinka’s final shot landed long, Gasquet fell flat on his back in disbelief as he celebrated the finest win of his career. He next faces top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.
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