Richard Gasquet played his last match at the home Paris Masters, falling to Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round. The veteran will end his career at next year's Roland Garros, deciding to end his tennis journey after failing to return to the top-100 this season. Richard secured a notable record in his final performance at this event, becoming the second player with 17 appearances at the Paris Masters after the seven-time champion, Novak Djokovic.
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Gasquet's Paris Masters journey
The Frenchman could have been a player with most Paris Masters appearances, skipping the home event for times between 2004 and 2009. He debuted in 2003 and scored his first victory a year later, ousting Stan Wawrinka, who is also still active. Gasquet's finest result in front of the home crowd came in 2007 when he reached the semi-final, falling to David Nalbandian and missing a chance to fight for the trophy. Richard fell to Roger Federer in 2010 and 2011 before reaching the quarter-final in 2013 and 2015, losing them to Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. The Frenchman never scored back-to-back wins at this event after 2015, finishing his homeMasters journey with a 16-16 score.
Bergs tops Gasquet in 80 minutes
Zizou needed an hour and 20 minutes to beat Richard and make a winning start in Paris. The Belgian dominated with his first serve but struggled a bit on the second. He defended all five break points and mounted the pressure on the Frenchman. Gasquet could not keep his initial shot safe until a tie break, serving at 48% and suffering two breaks from four opportunities provided to his rival. Bergs landed 26 winners and unforced errors, leaving his opponent on a 14-15 ratio. Richard fought well from the baseline but could not erase a 21-9 deficit in service winners. They stayed close to each other in the mid-range and most extended exchanges, and Zizou forged the lead in the shortest ones up to four strokes thanks to those unreturned serves.
The Belgian secured a break in the fourth game of the opening set and provided two fine holds for a 5-2 lead. The better-ranked player served for the opener at 5-3 and faced two break points. He denied them with winners and wrapped up the set with a forced error for 6-3 after 38 minutes. Bergs saved two break points at the beginning of the second set and provided a break at 2-2 after Gasquet's loose forehand. The Belgian served well in the remaining games, sealing the deal with a hold at love at 5-4 after a service winner, moving into the second round and ending the Frenchman's home Masters journey.
