Richard has almost clinched the final spot in Shanghai. He defeated close rival, Andy Murray in the BNP Paribas Masters on Friday night.
In front of a partisan crowd, Richard fed off their support to overcome a mystifyng second set to claim victory 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.
This win now puts Richard in pole position in the race to Shanghai.
In the semifinals of Paris, Richard faces David Nalbandian. If Richard beats Nalbandian, his spot in Shanghai is secure. If he does not win, he will still make Shanghai providing Baghdatis does not win the title.
After his quarterfinal win, Richard was elated,
""Simply it's incredible. It's only if Baghdatis wins the tournament that I won't be able to go, or else I lose tomorrow. You know, the Seine is not far from me. I'll throw myself into it. He has to beat Nadal. I have many chances of being qualified. I didn't even hope for it. In Madrid I didn't play well. In Lyon I didn't play well either. I was 13 here. It is unexpected, completely unexpected. Even myself, I can't believe it today."
Allez Richie!
