Richard Gasquet, 122nd player in the world, was eliminated by Spaniard Pedro Martinez (77th) 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 tournament on clay in Estoril on Friday. Winner the day before of the Austrian Dominik Thiem (6-4, 7-6), the 37-year-old Frenchman seemed blunted, overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the much younger Spaniard (26 years old).
Trailing 5-2 in the first round, the Biterrois revolted to come back to 5-4, perhaps the consequence of a heated exchange with the chair umpire in the previous game, but not enough to cast doubt on the Spanish. In an intense second set, the veteran was broken at 1-1 and had to chase the score in vain. Martinez concluded on his first match point after 1h 44 min of play.