SINGLES QUALIFIERS

Richard Gasquet

Frenchman Richard Gasquet claimed the final spot in the elite eight-player Tennis Masters Cup and will be making his first appearance in the prestigious circuit finale.

Gasquet secured his qualification at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris after the lone remaining contender, Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis (14th), was defeated in the semifinals by Rafael Nadal of Spain. Gasquet, who also fell in the semifinals action at the final ATP Masters Series event of 2007, finished the regular ATP season at No. 8 in the ATP 2007 Race with a 13-point lead over No. 9 Tommy Robredo.

The 21-year-old Gasquet has compiled his best career season, finishing in the Top 10 for the first time and capturing one ATP title from three finals. By capturing his first career hard-court crown at Mumbai (d. O. Rochus), Gasquet achieved the rare feat of having won titles on all four surfaces: grass, clay, indoor synthetic and hard. He was placed a career-high No. 7 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings on July 9, 2007.

Sebastien Grosjean, who lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the 2001 Tennis Masters Cup final that was held in Sydney, Australia, was the last Frenchman to qualify.