By Adrianna Outlaw | Sunday, February 11, 2018
Lucas Pouille dispatched three-time champion Richard Gasquet 7-6( 2), 6-4 in the Montpellier final for his fifth ATP title.
Photo credit: Open Sud de France Facebook
Crisis points are launching pads for Lucas Pouille.
In an all-French final, Pouille pumped 10 aces and did not face break point dispatching three-time champion Richard Gasquet 7-6 (2), 6-4 in the Montpellier final.
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The 23-year-old Pouille collected his fifth career ATP title.
And he came back from the brink to do it.
Facing a pair of match points and a 1-6, 3-5 deficit against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in yesterday's semifinals, Pouille rallied when his countryman suffered a left hamstring injury that forced him to retire.
The second-seeded Pouille set the tone on serve. He served 66 percent and won 67 percent of his second-serve points.
It was Pouille's first title since he defeated Gasquet, Kyle Edmund and Tsonga in succession to win Vienna last October.
The 17th-ranked Pouille closed in 87-minutes for his second career championship on home soil following the 2016 Metz 2016 title.