In a match that lasted nearly three hours, Richard lost an extremely close encounter to compatriot Anaud Clement in Metz. In a hard fought battle, Clement just edged Richard 6-7(3), 7-6(3), 7-5.

Clement put a lot of pressure on his opponent, forcing Richard to save 10 of 14 break points. The elder Frenchman also had a more consistent first serve percentage.