Frenchman Richard Gasquet overturned a one-set deficit against Thomaz Bellucci to advance through to round two of the Madrid Open this evening.
Both players began the encounter by holding their service games during the opening exchanges.
However, Gasquet was the first to surrender his serve and in doing so allowed his Brazilian opponent to record a 6-4 success.
Gasquet's response was positive and he went on to gain revenge on Bellucci by taking the match to a deciding set with a 6-4 triumph.
Bellucci failed to hold his serve early in the third set which allowed Gasquet to gain the imitative. He pressed home that advantage to put himself in a position to serve for the match at 5-3.
Gasquet lost his nerve at that point though, allowing Bellucci to claim a break of serve before going on to level the set at five games apiece.
The following service games were both held as a breaker was reached to determine a winner. Having opened up an early lead, Gasquet emerged victorious courtesy of a 7-5 win.
Viktor Troicki will be his opponent in the next round.
Liam Apicella
