Loudly supported by the public, French hopeful Arthur Fils won his first Masters 1000 match in Rome on Wednesday to advance to the second round, unlike his leader Richard Gasquet who was very dull. Among the women, Alizé Cornet also qualified for the second round.
In total, fourteen French (twelve men and two women) are in the running at the Foro Italico. Five advanced to the second round (Cornet, Son, Alexandre Müller, Arthur Rinderknech and Grégoire Barrère), three were beaten and six will compete on Thursday (Caroline Garcia, Jérémy Chardy, Quentin Halys, Ugo Humbert, Adrian Mannarino and Corentin Moutet) .
It passes (Fils, Müller, Rinderknech, Barrère, Cornet)
At 18, Fils (119th in the world) took 2 hours and 9 minutes to beat Argentinian Juan Manuel Cerundolo (105th) 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 and thus clinch a first victory in the Masters 1000. All this, as if he was at home in front of an audience won over to his cause and who made it known. The meeting was briefly interrupted by rain at the very end of the second round when the Frenchman was “losing the thread”, he admitted on Eurosport.
During this interruption, his coach Laurent Raymond tried to put him back on track by insisting that he resume “the tactics of the beginning”. “I pretty much respected it… but not completely! (laughs) In the end, I hit and then passed,” commented the Frenchman. The task will be much more complicated in the next round against the enfant terrible of the circuit, the Dane Holger Rune (7th). “It’s going to be a big match, salivated Fils. I’m happy to play it, especially if the public helps me like that, it’s going to be really incredible”. Like him, Alexandre Müller (100th in the world and also from qualifying), won his first Masters 1000 match in Rome on Wednesday.
But, for the 26-year-old, victory was much easier against Briton Kyle Edmund (473rd and beneficiary of a protected classification) whom he dismissed 6-1, 6-3. He will find on his way another Briton, much tougher a priori, in the person of Cameron Norrie (13th).
Rinderknech back
A winning comeback for Arthur Rinderknech (89th) who beat Italian Flavio Cobolli (183rd) 6-4, 6-3 after months of treating covid, mononucleosis and pubalgia. The 27-year-old Frenchman, ex-42nd in the world, will face the Norwegian Casper Ruud (4th) in the second round. He had won only one match in the main circuit (excluding the United Cup) since the start of the year, in the first round in Montpellier in February, for seven defeats. He had not replayed since his retirement in the first set in the first round in Miami in March.
Victory also for Grégoire Barrère (63rd) against the American Brandon Nakashima (47th) 6-3, 6-3. In the next round, Barrère will face the Russian Karen Khachanov (11th). In the women’s draw, Cornet (64th) beat the Czech Tereza Martincova (95th) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
It breaks (Gasquet, van Assche, Lestienne)
Richard Gasquet, 44th in the world and French N.1, was overtaken by the Chinese Yibing Wu (57th) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Taking advantage of his opponent’s numerous unforced errors, Gasquet scored the break twice to win the first set. But it was Wu who dictated the course of the game: by adjusting his shots from the start of the second set, the Chinese got his hands on the duel. He earned the break to lead 3-1 then lined up five games in a row from 4-3 to tie a set all and come away 3-0 in the deciding set.
The 36-year-old Frenchman spent his nerves on his racket, shattered on the ground, and stopped the bleeding by winning the fourth game of the third set. But he never managed to catch up or even worry Wu. For their part, Luca van Assche (85th) was beaten by the Argentinian Tomas Etcheverry (61st) 7-6 (9/7), 6- 3, and Constant Lestienne (70th) gave up after losing the first set (6-1) to Serbian Laslo Djere (62nd).