Roddick blown away by Gasquet

12 April 2012

Frenchman Richard Gasquet stunned Wimbledon by staging a remarkable fightback to topple third seed Andy Roddick 4-6 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) 8-6 and secure a semi-final against Roger Federer.

Intimidated by his first Grand Slam quarter-final, Gasquet allowed powerful American number one Roddick to bludgeon his way into a two-set lead.

But the turning point came in the eighth game of the third set when Roddick went to pieces on his own service and Gasquet broke back, remaining in control from then on.

The 21-year-old, ranked 14 in the world, possessed a more rounded game than the one-dimensional Roddick and played some sublime shots that left his opponent bewildered.

Nerves seemed to get the better of Gasquet as Roddick powered to a two set and 2-0 lead in the third set,

But Roddick conceded two break points with a double fault and then fired a forehand wide to allow Gasquet to level at 4-4 and the set went to a tie-break which was dominated by Gasquet, securing four set points but only needing the first.

Gasquet's momentum continued into the fourth set but he could not convert two break points as Roddick continued to have difficulty on his own serve and the set went into another tie-break, Gasquet seizing control and a sensational backhand from the Frenchman squared matters.

However from 5-4 onwards in the final set Roddick was serving to stay in the match every other game, heaping pressure on the American.

The crucial breakthrough finally came in the 14th when Gasquet fired a magnificent forehand to the right corner to secure two match points.

Only the first was required as Roddick raced into the net to return a simple shot - but he directed the ball into the net.

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