Richard Gasquet is winding back the clock one last time at the Brisbane International in the hopes of a return to the main draw for the first time in 15 years.
The 38-year-old retiring Frenchman fell to the eventual champion in the first two editions of the event – in the 2009 semifinals to Radek Stepanek and the quarterfinals to Andy Roddick a year later – and on Saturday, opened his qualifying campaign with a 6-1 6-2 victory over local wildcard Derek Pham.
“The best preparation for me is to be here. It’s a great facility, the tournaments is one of the best of the year,” Gasquet said ahead of a final-round qualifying clash with German Yannick Hanfmann.
“It’s important for me to play with the heat and try to be ready. The matches are my last time here playing in Australia, so I went to enjoy it.
“I know how good it is to play with the crowd here, an Australian crowd. They’re cheering for French players for years. I hope to qualify tomorrow.”
> READ MORE: Stars set to excite at Brisbane International
Gasquet will call time on his career after Roland Garros in 2025, more than 23 years after winning a round in his ATP debut as a 16-year-old at the 2002 Monte Carlo Masters.
While he will bid adieu to his playing days, his time on tour won’t draw to a sudden halt.
“Of course I will miss it a lot, but tennis is not over after it even if I’m not a professional anymore,” he said. “I will be here to try to support players and enjoy watching them.”
Fellow French former top-10 player Lucas Pouille also posted an opening qualifying win.
The 30-year-old saved a match point against Queenslander Jason Kubler 4-6 6-3 7-6(6) to set a showdown with 19-year-old American Nishesh Basavareddy.
> VIEW: Brisbane International 2025 men’s singles draw
Qualifying top seed Yoshihito Nishioka moved past Alex Bolt 6-2 7-6(4) for a shot at a second successive South Australian, Li Tu, a straight-sets winner over Slovak Lukas Klein.
Two Australians, Priscilla Hon and Maddison Inglis, and a pair of Romanians, Ana Bogdan and Anca Alexia Todoni, were among six women who qualified for the main draw.
Seventh seed Polina Kudermetova stunned top-seeded Turkish player Zeynep Sonmez 6-2 6-3 and 18-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek advanced after third-seeded Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo retired injured at a set apiece.
Join Ash Barty, Pat Rafter, Frances Tiafoe, and Ons Jabeur at the Brisbane International Charity Showcase this Sunday 29 December! Hurry, tickets selling fast!
Visit the link to secure your seat: https://t.co/amyAF7WDe3#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/Oodo0RWLip
— Brisbane International (@BrisbaneTennis) December 28, 2024
DAY 1 preview: Vukic, Joint lead Aussies in main-draw action
A string of Australian hopes including Aleksandar Vukic and Maya Joint will launch their Brisbane International campaigns on Day 1 of main-draw action at Pat Rafter Arena on Sunday.
World No.68 Vukic meets Belgian former world No.7 David Goffin for the first time in the final match of the night session.
The 28-year-old celebrated a dash to the semifinals of the ATP event in Almaty, Kazakhstan in October, a run that included an upset of top seed Frances Tiafoe.
Former ATP Finals runner-up Goffin also celebrated a return to form that month in Shanghai following the birth of his daughter, Emma. Goffin posted a first top-10 win since 2022 over world No.2 Alexander Zverev to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal in three years in October.
> VIEW: Brisbane International 2025 women’s singles draw
In an all-Australian clash, qualifier Maddison Inglis and wildcard Joint square off in the second match of the day session at PRA.
The 26-year-old Inglis collected her first ITF 100 title in Tokyo in April, the first Australian woman in almost a decade to claim a title at that level, and finished the year more than 120 places higher in the year-end rankings at world No.154.
Australia’s fourth-ranked woman, 18-year-old Joint will make her Brisbane debut following a breakout season in which she made the second round at the US Open and was named a joint winner of the Female Junior Athlete of the Year at the Australian Tennis Awards.
Fellow wildcard Talia Gibson makes her debut under the lights in the first night session match of the tournament against Czech Marie Bouzkova.
The 20-year-old reached five ITF finals in 2024, including three straight titles on the Australian Pro Tour, while 44th-ranked Bouzkova reached a WTA 500 final in Washington and WTA 250 final in Bogota last year.