#NextGenATP Michelsen ends Gasquet's fairytale run in Metz

pa href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/alex-michelsen/m0qi/overview'Alex Michelsen/a had little time for sentiment on Tuesday at the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/metz/341/overview'Moselle Open/a./p

pThe #NextGenATP star rallied from the brink of defeat to secure a thrilling comeback victory over a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/richard-gasquet/g628/overview'Richard Gasquet/a, ending the Frenchmanrsquo;s fairytale final run in Metz. Michelsen saved two match points in the deciding-set tie-break before sealing a 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(8) triumph./p

pldquo;I wasnrsquo;t really thinking, I was just playing,rdquo; said Michelsen, who is second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. ldquo;I felt super calm in the pressure moments and I think that was why I came through. I was down two match points and I found two winners.rdquo;/p

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pIn an absorbing battle, it was Michelsen who held his nerve, striking 65 winners en route to his seventh quarter-final of 2024. The 20-year-old will next face either a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://https://www.atptour.com/en/players/yunchaokete-bu/y09v/overview" target="_blank"Buyunchaokete/a or qualifier a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jesper-de-jong/d0c1/overview'Jesper de Jong/a for a place in the last four./p

pldquo;Hersquo;s been doing it for 20 years and he is still that good,rdquo; Michelsen added of Gasquet, who is retiring at the conclusion of a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/roland-garros/520/overview'Roland Garros/a 2025. ldquo;He's an incredible player. I knew it was going to be a tough battle. All the credit to him for competing as hard as he could.rdquo;/p

pGasquet, who made the first of his 33 ATP Tour finals in Metz, was bidding to become the oldest quarter-finalist in tournament history. The 38-year-old had the match on his racket at 6/4 in the final set tie-break, but Michelsen produced some inspired tennis to cross the line./p

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pEarlier, it seemed as if the news that a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andrey-rublev/re44/overview'Andrey Rublev/a had qualified for the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/nitto-atp-finals/605/overview'Nitto ATP Finals/a might just have been his tonic./p

pThe top seed at the indoor ATP 250 dialled in for a hard-fought 7-6(3), 7-5 win over a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/lorenzo-sonego/su87/overview'Lorenzo Sonego/a, the 2022 champion. In a battle dominated by the server, Rublev found the only break of the match to seal a one-hour, 52-minute victory./p

pldquo;It was a tough match, he is playing really well, he beat me the last two times,rdquo; said Rublev, who levelled the pairrsquo;s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2. ldquo;With the way he serves, and how he plays with the forehand, itrsquo;s really tough to play against him. The first set could have gone either way, but as soon as I had a chance, I was able to take it.rdquo;/p

pRublev has since withdrawn from the main draw citing abdominal pain, meaning that a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/corentin-moutet/mw02/overview'Corentin Moutet/a will advance straight to the semi-finals. Buoyed by the crowd, the Frenchman found some inspired tennis to defeat a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/jan-lennard-struff/sl28/overview'Jan-Lennard Struff/a 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-3. Moutet was particularly dialled in during the final set, during which he carved out eight break points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.nbsp;/p

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