David Ferrer is looking to make another Australian Open quarter-final when he plays the mercurial Richard Gasquet on Monday.
Gasquet has never been further than the fourth round in Australia but he sent a message to the rest of his quarter with a stunning 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 demolition of world number nine Janko Tipsarevic in the third round.
And Ferrer has not always been that convincing in this tournament. He came in on the back of winning a third Auckland title but slams are always a different ball game and he found himself taken the distance against big serving American Ryan Sweetinf in round two.
He's always been a problem opponent for Gasquet in the past, winning five of their six matches. Ferrer may not possess Gasquet's flair or variety but he makes up for it in sheer mental toughness.
However he still has a very healthy respect for Gasquet's game. "He is a very good player, very talent player. Sometimes plays better; sometimes plays worse. But all the players the same, no?" Ferrer told the press.
"He's top 15. He was top 10 one year. He played one Masters Cup. He was with the best players, no? So I think [he] is a very consistent player. All the players play good. All the tops, the tennis is very close, you know, is very difficult for to win all the matches. We have to fight a lot. But I think for me Richard, he can come back again to top 10."
"I don't like play with Richard because Richard is a very great player. He has a very good talent. He plays very good in the net. He has a very good first serve. So I need to play my best tennis to win."
