PARIS (AP) β Richard Gasquet’s all-risk approach paid dividends as he dispatched Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to give France a 1-0 lead over two-time defending champion Czech Republic in the Davis Cup semifinals on Friday.
Serving impeccably and limiting his mistakes to 12 unforced errors, Gasquet never looked threatened on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Gasquet, who was picked by captain Arnaud Clement to open instead of Gael Monfils, quickly found a good rhythm and lost only five points on his service in the first set, breaking in the fourth game.
Struggling with his forehand, Berdych looked out of sorts for most of the time and hit a total of 38 unforced errors.
The second singles pits Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Lukas Rosol.
