Richard Gasquet defeated Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the semi finals of the Red Letter Open in Nottingham.
Once again the wind played a large part in this match. The players exchanged early breaks and Richard, who was serving first, broke Simon's serve again to take a 4-2 lead.
These two players know each other very well and often practice together making for a very even match. However, Gasquet handled the windy conditions better. According to his coach, Eric Deblicker, Richard grew up playing in windy conditions.
Richard survived two break points as he served for the set, and went ahead 6-3.
Richard took an early lead in the second set as his opponent became more frustrated with the wind. Gasquet went further ahead when he took the last of four break points he held on the Simon serve. By this time, his compatriot was looking a beaten man as Gasquet's technical superiority and mature play saw him hold serve with an ace to lead 5-1. He further stamped his superiority on the match by breaking a third time to score a 6-3, 6-1 win.
Richard will play Sweden's Robin Soderling in Friday's semi finals. The match will be first on Centre Court.
After the match, Richard commented,
""It was really difficult to play Gilles because he's a good friend and secondly because the conditions were so difficult due to the wind."
"Yes, it's getting better (for me) and I'm really happy (to have reached the semi-finals). The next opponent will also be tough but I think I can win."
