The French Richard Gasquet will play his 33rd final of his 20-year professional career this Saturday in Auckland, after his compatriot withdrew with a shoulder injury Constant Lestienne before the semifinal that both have to play.
Gasquet will reach the final without too much damage, but the Briton will be waiting for him Cameron Norrieworld number 12 and is unbeaten this season after six games, beating the American Jenson Brooksby by 6-3 and 6-4.
The Frenchman has fifteen ATP titles, the last four years ago in Bolduque (Netherlands) on grass. He had never played Norrie before and this was his first final since losing Carlos Alcaraz in the Croatian tournament in Umag in July 2021.
Despite the fact that Gasquet, 36, avoided himself in the breakdown of the semifinal, the clear favorite is his rival, nine years younger and with an atypical biography. Norrie plays under the British flag, was born in Johannesburg (South Africa) to a Scottish father and a Welsh mother and grew up in New Zealand, precisely in Auckland.
Cameron Norrie won two tournaments in 2022: Lyon, on clay, and Delray Beach, on hard surfaces. In his career he has four titles.
Source: La Verdad
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