Frenchman Richard Gasquet is fighting his way to the ATP World Tour Finals in London and he’s making a strong case for himself after reaching the final of the Kremlin Cup. Gasquet could overtake compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the standings with a title victory in Moscow (Tsonga lost at the Erste Bank Open semifinals to Robin Haase). Gasquet fought past big serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic.
“It is difficult because you have to serve well all the time and it’s tough to get break points,” Gasquet said. “You need to concentrate all the time.”
The tenth-ranked Frenchman will next face qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan for the title on Sunday. Gasquet won their lone encounter in Toronto last year but he’s not about to underestimate his next opponent. Kukushkin has had a magnificent run during the fall season, having reached the US Open third round and won two consecutive ATP Challenger events in Istanbul and Izmir before a stellar run to Moscow final.
“He is a good player,” Gasquet said. “He won some Challengers, he played well at the US Open. For me it’s not a big surprise. He is very talented. He has a good forehand and a good backhand, he runs well. He is a dangerous player.”
Kukushkin eliminated number two seed and defending Kremlin Cup champion Andreas Seppi in a thrilling three setter 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
