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Richard Gasquet vs Federico Coria: ATP Buchurest – First round
Veteran Richard Gasquet is coming back at ATP Bucharest for the first time in 16 years, to face Federico Coria in the first round of the tournament.
Richard Gasquet Profile
Richard Gasquet is 111th in the ATP rankings, and he has gone as high as No. 7 in the world in his prime. The 37-year-old veteran is 13-12 for the season and 4-4 on clay courts.
Gasquet is coming off a 6-4 quarterfinal loss to Pedro Martinez at the tournament in Estoril, coming in as a lucky loser after failing to defeat Lucas Pouille in the second qualifying round.
The week before, Gasquet also made it to the quarterfinals at the Challenger in Murcia, where he lost to Pablo Llamas Luis.
His best result so far in the season was the final at the Manama Challenger, where he lost to Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6, 6-4.
Federico Coria Profile
Federico Coria is 89th in the ATP rankings, and his career high was No. 49 in the world. The Argentinian is 15-10 for the season and 15-9 on clay courts.
Coria is coming off a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 loss to Ugo Humbert in the opening round in Monte Carlo after going through the qualifiers.
The week before in Estoril, he also lost the opener, this time 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to Botic Van Den Zandschulp.
Coria’s best result of the season was the final at the Piracicaba Challenger, where he lost to Camilo Ugo Carbelli.
Head-to-Head – Coria leads 1-0
- Coria vs Gasquet 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 (2022 ATP Marrakech, quarterfinal)
Prediction and Conclusion
Richard Gasquet is one of the oldest players on the tour, but despite his age, he has a winning record this season, which deserves all the respect. Coria is six years younger, and the Argentinian is also past his prime. He played almost all of his matches this season on clay, and he will make his debut in Bucharest. Given the odds, Coria is the favorite to win this one, but he is not capable of dominating an experienced player like Gasquet. Their previous match went all the way to the third set, and another tight battle can be expected today, so we go with over 21.5 games in total in this one.
