Defending champ Gasquet reaches semis

MONTPELLIER: Two-time defending champion Richard Gasquet (pic) of France beat big-serving countryman Kenny De Schepper 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to reach the semi- finals of the Montpellier Open.

De Schepper, a left-handed player ranked 162, had 16 aces on Friday.

But he also proved vulnerable on his serve, conceding 22 break points, with Gasquet converting five.

The third- seeded Gasquet next faces Benoit Paire and holds a 3-0 record against his countryman in their career meetings.

Paire advanced after Germany’s Dustin Brown retired early into their quarter-final.

Paire had broken Brown’s serve for a 1-0 lead.

In the other semi- final, second seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France will take on 19- year- old German Alexander Zverev – one of the rising stars of world tennis.

Tsonga had seven aces and did not face a single break point in a 6-2, 7-5 win against Daniil Medvedev, breaking the Russian’s serve three times.

Having won 95% of his points on first serve on Thursday, Tsonga did even better this time with 96%.

Meanwhile, the fourth- seeded Zverev had 13 aces as he beat Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 4-6, 6-2. QUITO (Ecuador): Albert RamosVinolas of Spain defeated countryman Roberto Carballes Baena on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Ecuador Open.

The second-seeded Ramos-Vinolas won 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 and is now the favourite to take the clay-court tournament after top-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia was beaten on Thursday by unseeded Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic.

Ramos-Vinolas won last year on clay in Bastad, Sweden, for his only ATP Tour singles title.