Gasquet, A Changed Man

After his breakthrough triumph over Raonic in the fourth round, I felt this is the best time for Gasquet to prove his much improved mental strength. He needed to beat Ferrer first, and although he lost eight of the previous nine matches against the Spaniard, I knew he had it in him to get the win. The Frenchman has the talent and the groundstrokes to challenge Ferrer, so it was all just a matter of putting in the effort, of working on his fitness, of fighting, and fighting, and fighting some more in order to overcome the tour's ultimate hard-worker. 

Gasquet too acknowledged the great opportunity and was determined not to let it slip. He was ferocious right from the get-go, playing sharp and aggressive to build a two-sets-to-love advantage. It was a period of flawless tennis for the Frenchman, two-sets of Richard Gasquet at his utmost best. No mistakes, stunning one-handed backhands, inspired volleys, a lethal combination that left his opponent struggling for answers. However, as usual, David was not going to give up easily. He raised his level at the beginning of the third act, breaking Richard to unleash a comeback. The Frenchman grew tired, his body was ailing, and his shots were missing the convincement and the spark from the beginning of the encounter. Experienced Ferrer took full advantage, leveling the dispute.

Usually when such a thing happens, Richard collapses mentally and physically, gifting away the win. It happened throughout his career, most recently at Roland Garros against Wawrinka. He did warn us that he learned his lesson though and this time he played it smart. He kept his cool, regrouped, resumed the aggressive display and crossed the finish line triumphantly. He attacked at the right moment to get the decisive break and then went on to serve out a superb 6-3,6-1,4-6,2-6,6-3 victory.

"I played a great match at the start despite the wind in the stadium. But David is a great fighter and I was a little tired after a big match with Raonic. I got the break in the final set and it's an amazing feeling to be in the semi-finals. I played a lot of 5 sets in my life, but this one was very important. It was a big match for me, this is a big victory, semi-finals of the US Open. I'm really happy. It's wonderful for me,'' he said after the match.

I strongly believe that with this success Richard has proved he has matured, as a player, as a person, and as a champion. He goes on to face Rafael Nadal next, and although he never beat his good friend, you never know when the magic strikes. Nadal has been impetuous on hard-courts this season, not losing a match, so it will surely be tough. However, with the right mental approach, with belief and determination, I think the Frenchman has a slight chance of making his first Grand Slam final. It seems impossible, but I'm actually rooting for a battle of the one-handed backhands in Sunday's final. Let's go Gasquet and Wawrinka!

Although he has lost eight of the nine previous meetings with David Ferrer, Gasquet knew this was his chance. The Frenchman held his nerve to close out a magnificent 6-3,6-1,4-6,2-6,6-3 victory.

photos: GETTY IMAGES