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.
