MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 14:21:32| >> :600:359966724:359966724:

Live Commentary: Richard Gasquet vs. Go Soeda - as it happened

Relive the coverage of the second-round match between ninth seed Richard Gasquet and Japan's Go Soeda at Wimbledon that proved to be a thriller.
2

Richard Gasquet survived a scare to make it through to the third round in four sets at Wimbledon this afternoon.

The ninth seed beat Japan's Go Soeda 6-0 6-3 6-7 6-3, spending almost two-and-a-half hours on court.

The victory sets up the Frenchman with a clash against Australian Bernard Tomic in the next round.

Read how all the action unfolded below.


Sort:
Newest
Oldest
Good afternoon. Richard Gasquet and Go Soeda should be heading out to Court One at Wimbledon in the next couple of minutes for their second-round encounter.

These two have only played once before. It was Gasquet that took the win on that occasion, beating the Japanese player 6-0 6-2 on an indoor hard court in Marseille last year.

The players have just come onto court ready to take part in a quick warm-up before getting the match underway. Soeda has won the pre-match coin toss, and has decided to let Gasquet serve first.

Gasquet has had mixed results during his previous appearances at Wimbledon. The Frenchman was a semi-finalist in 2007, but also has four fourth-round and two first-round exits to his name. He has been knocked out of the last six Grand Slams in the fourth round.

Soeda, who is currently ranked at 129 in the world, has never made it to the third round of a Grand Slam. He reached the second round at SW19 last year, and matched that performance at the Australian Open earlier this year.

We now know that the winner of this match will play Bernard Tomic of Australia in the next round, after he beat James Blake in straight sets earlier this afternoon.

Gasquet is ready to get the first set underway.

Soeda tries to get into rallies early on but the ninth seed has too much for him, resulting in the Japanese player firing a couple of shots long before finding the net with his final return, giving Gasquet a comfortable start to the match.

BREAK! A double fault from Soeda allows Gasquet to edge ahead in the game, but the Frenchman carelessly blasts a forehand stroke well long. At deuce, Soeda fails to find the baseline with a looping forehand, giving Gasquet a chance for an early break. During a lengthy rally, a backhand from Gasquet seems to be going wide, but it curls back in and just clips the line to give the Frenchman the game.

It's another good service game from Gasquet. Soeda doesn't look comfortable rushing around the court and the Frenchman focuses on that, looking for the edges the court to keep his opponent moving.

BREAK! Soeda starts well, finding the sideline with a cross-court backhand, but slices his forehand wide on the next point, before firing a shot long to put Gasquet in control of the game. The Japanese player is struggling to get his first serves in, giving Gasquet the chance to attack, which he does, securing another break with a superb forehand to the back corner of the court.

Once again it's simple for Gasquet, as Soeda just doesn't seem to be able to get his returns in. It's difficult to see where the Japanese player is going to get his games from. At the moment, he's only winning points when Gasquet makes a mistake.

SET! Gasquet 6-0 Soeda

It takes Gasquet just 20 minutes to clinch the opening set. A superb return from Gasquet gives him the opening point, but Soeda finds a brilliant forehand winner to level the score. He seems to get a little more pace on his serve, forcing Gasquet to smash the ball into the net, but a wild mis-hit keeps the ninth seed in the game. Soeda looks for the sideline but the ball lands well wide, giving Gasquet set point, and he gets it when Soeda finds the net yet again.

Gasquet has been far from perfect, but the errors from Soeda have been constant, making it easy for the Frenchman.

Soeda tries to come into the net a couple of times in a bid to provide some form of challenge for the Frenchman, but he hits the ball into the net each time, handing Gasquet his seventh game in a row.

BREAK! A 30-0 down, Soeda gets himself into a rally with Gasquet and is looking strong, but once again he hits the net, bringing up three break points for the ninth seed. The Frenchman hits his return long while trying to claim the first, before Soeda finds a good volley. However, a double fault gives Gasquet the game. Just as Soeda looks to be finding some good shots he makes a clumsy error again.

BREAK! Gasquet seems to let his intensity drop a little at the start of the game, and two double faults give Soeda two break point. The Frenchman ups his game, as he is tested for the first time in this match, coming into the net to volley the ball past the Japanese player, but the world number 129 manages to clinch the game on the next point with a solid forehand winner.

Well, Soeda finally seems to be getting himself into this match. A couple of missed returns from Gasquet give the Japanese player the first two points, before a lucky hit on the net chord takes him to 40-0, helping him to hold serve for the first time in this tie.

BREAK! Where was this Soeda in the first set? The Japanese player makes some brilliant returns, while Gasquet seems to have lost all confidence. As the ninth seed sits down at the change of ends he looks confused.

BREAK! Soeda build his momentum even move, winning a hawkeye challenge after his backhand is called out. However, Gasquet manages to find the sideline with a superb forehand on the next shot, before the world number 129 hit the net, giving Gasquet a chance to break back, which he does when the Japanese player finds the net again.

Gasquet looks focused early in the game, sending some powerful serves towards his opponent. However, he misses his first serve, giving Soeda a chance to attack, which he does with a brilliant forehand winner. A double fault from the ninth seed followed by a wide forehand takes the game to deuce. Gasquet snatches advantage, before sealing the game with an ace.

BREAK! Neither player have any kind of momentum at the moment and it's really affecting the flow of the tennis. Gasquet brings up two break points, but his shots find the net both times while trying to convert, bringing up deuce. Gasquet forces advantage several times, but Soeda manages to save a number of breaks, before eventually handing the Frenchman the game with a double fault.

This set really hasn't been a crowd pleaser. The biggest cheer in the last half hour came in the last game, when the umpire announced that Gasquet had no challenges remaining!

SET! Gasquet 6-0 6-3 Soeda

After an up and down set for the ninth seed, Gasquet finishes the second set strongly, finding a couple of aces, while forcing some poor returns from his opponent.

Gasquet will want to maintain this new focus and get of court as soon as possible as there are a couple of spots of rain landed around the court at the moment. It's not enough to force the players off yet, but Gasquet won't want to get caught up in a rain delay.

Soeda made a strong start to his service game, claiming the opening couple of points with some accurate deliveries, but Gasquet found some good returning, forcing more errors from the Japanese player and taking the game to deuce. However, the world number 129 found his form from the start of the game to hold serve.

Soeda has never looked entirely comfortable returning Gasquet's serve, and it continues here, as he fires his returns long, before allowing Gasquet to finish the game with an ace.

At 30-30, the pair get into a lengthy rally, and Gasquet tries to take the point with a drop shot, but it dips well before the net. Soeda seals the game on the next point with a more successful drop shot attempt.

Gasquet serves well to take a 40-0 lead, but misses his first serve while trying to clinch the game. Soeda attacks his second serve, trying to lob the ball beyond his opponent, but the ninth seed makes a brilliant backhand volley to win the game.

Soeda looks to be in control of the game but slips behind the baseline. Initially, he looks in pain but seems to shake it off quite quickly. Gasquet gets break point when the world number 129 finds the net again, but Soeda finds a couple of big serves to save the break point and take the game.

The pair split the opening four points of the game, before Soeda tries to give himself a break point with a backhand volley, but his effort fails to find the line, allowing Gasquet to seal the game with a forehand winner on the next point. Soeda has struggled to test Gasquet's serve in the third set, but has defended well during his own service games.

Gasquet makes some aggressive returns early in the game, clearly keen to get the break, but a couple of errors take the game to deuce. Gasquet thinks he has advantage when Soeda sends down a long forehand, but hawkeye reveals that it was just on the line, causing an angry outburst from the Frenchman. Soeda finishes his game with an ace.

Gasquet misses his forehand in the opening point of the game, but quickly gets back on top with some big serves, causing Soeda to find the net again, before the ninth seed wrapped it up with an ace.

Wow, blink and you'll miss it! That was a superb service game from Soeda, as Gasquet failed to get any of the Japanese players serves back into his side of the court.

Gasquet is equally impressive at the start of his service game, sending his seventh ace of the match past Soeda to take a 40-0 lead. Soeda steals a point back, but a strong forehand winner secures the game for the ninth seed.

A couple of long shots from Gasquet give Soeda the first two points, before the Japanese player misses the baseline to keep the Frenchman in the game. However, Soeda has improved his serve as the match has gone on, and manage to hold serve to give himself at least a tiebreak in this set.

It's a straight-forward hold for Gasquet, taking the third set into a tiebreak.

Gasquet *1-0 Soeda

Gasquet *1-1 Soeda

Gasquet 2-1* Soeda

Gasquet 3-1* Soeda

Gasquet *3-2 Soeda

Gasquet *4-2 Soeda

Gasquet 5-2* Soeda

Gasquet 5-3* Soeda

Gasquet *5-4 Soeda

Gasquet *5-5 Soeda

Gasquet 5-6* Soeda. It's set point for Soeda

SET! Gasquet 6-0 6-3 [5]6-7 Soeda

Soeda was trying too hard at the start of the tiebreak, making numerous mistakes to help Gasquet to a 5-2 lead. However, the Frenchman lost his rhythm on serve, letting the world 129 back into it. The Japanese player made some brilliant shots from the baseline to secure the set.

Gasquet has head head in his hands while Soeda has nipped off court for a toilet break. There's a bit of rain still falling around the court, but neither player has complained about it yet, and while the groundstaff are on standby, they seem happy to let the match go on.

Gasquet has recovered from the disappointment of losing the third set well. He quickly takes the first three point, before he fires a forehand long. However, Soeda makes the same mistake on the next point to hand the ninth seed the opening game of the fourth set.

BREAK! Gasquet has upped the intensity at the start of the second set. He makes some superb returns before forcing his opponent to face two break points with a brilliant forehand winner down the sideline. Soeda saves the first, but hits his backhand into the net on the second. The covers are out on some of the other courts at the moment, but Gasquet won't want the play to stop on court one.

BREAK! Gasquet has lost it again, as he makes a poor attempt at a drop shot to give Soeda a chance to get the break back. The Frenchman hits the ball into the net, having Soeda the break. Gasquet smashes a ball into the crowd in anger.

The umpire comes down from his chair to have a feel of the court. He's happy that it's dry enough for the match to continue.

BREAK! Soeda starts the game well, but as with so many of his service games this afternoon, he lets the errors creep in, and Gasquet manages to take the game to deuce. The Japanese player finds the net to give the ninth seed a break point, and manages to hit the net again on the next point, giving Gasquet a break again.

This time Gasquet manages to consolidate the break with some strong serving. Once again, Soeda makes some poor returns, firing a couple of efforts long, but the ninth seed finally seems to have found some stability, and is in control of this fourth set.

Despite being a break down, Soeda keeps his cool to produce one of his better service games of the afternoon, rounding it off with a brilliant backhand winner down the sideline.

BREAK! Gasquet makes a clumsy error on the backhand before smashing a cross-court effort well wide. He responds well, finding his ninth ace of the match, while Soeda smashes a two-handed backhand shot into the net. A double fault presents the world number 129 with a chance to break back, but the ninth seed manages to force deuce with an ace. Gasquet starts hitting the ball really hard, and forcing it long, before slicing it wide on the next point, and the fourth set is back on serve.

BREAK! Gasquet looks composed at the start of the game, moving well behing the baseline to claim the opening two points, but a rash lob goes well long. However, Soeda also tries to use too much power, hitting the ball wide and long to give Gasquet a break point. A careless backhand from the Japanese player clips the net, and Gasquet will serve for the match.

An ace brings up two match points for Gasquet.

Soeda saves the first, but Gasquet will have another chance

GAME, SET & MATCH! Gasquet 6-0 6-3 6-7 6-3 Soeda

Well it wasn't pretty, but ninth seed Richard Gasquet is into the third round with a four-sets win over Go Soeda, spending almost two-and-a-half hours on court.

The Frenchman will need to up his game if he wants to beat Bernard Tomic in the next round. Gasquet got just 57% of his first serves in during the match, and made a total of 21 unforced errors.

Soeda did well to get back into the match. After losing the first eight games in a row, it looked like it could have been an embarrassing afternoon for the Japanese player, but he dug in well to make it a difficult day for Gasquet.

Well that's all from this match, but stick around for coverage of the match on centre courttext, where play is due to get back underway shortly now that the roof has been closed. Weather permitting, there'll also be live updates from Laura Robson and David Ferrer's matches this evening. Thanks for joining me this afternoon, good bye.

ID:90912: cacheID:90912:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:27347:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
rhs 2.0
Today's games header


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!