Open Sud de France

The tournament is one of three French events of the ATP World Tour 250 series, along with the Open 13 and the Open de Moselle.

The Open Sud de France (formally known as the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon) is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the ATP World Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour. It was held annually at the Palais des Sports de Gerland in Lyon, France, in October, from 1987 through to 2009, before being relocated to Montpellier in 2010. The tournament will take place in the ARENA, holding 7,500 spectators.

There was no event in 2011 as the tournament moved to a January slot in 2012.

Past finals

Singles

Doubles

References

External links

Languedoc-Roussillon

Languedoc-Roussillon (French pronunciation: ​[lɑ̃ɡdɔk ʁusijɔ̃]; Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon; Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it is part of the new region Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean Sea on the other side. It is the southernmost region of mainland France.

Etymology

The name of the province of Languedoc originates from the language spoken in southern France, langue d'oc, also known as Occitan, and Roussillon, a historic province in the South of present-day Languedoc-Roussillon.

Geography

The region is made up of the following historical provinces:

France

France (French: [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a sovereign state comprising territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European part of France, called metropolitan France, extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. France spans 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and has a total population of 66.6 million. It is a unitary semi-presidential republic with the capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. The Constitution of France establishes the state as secular and democratic, with its sovereignty derived from the people.

During the Iron Age, what is now Metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The Gauls were conquered in 51 BC by the Roman Empire, which held Gaul until 486. The Gallo-Romans faced raids and migration from the Germanic Franks, who dominated the region for hundreds of years, eventually creating the medieval Kingdom of France. France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years' War (1337 to 1453) strengthening French state-building and paving the way for a future centralized absolute monarchy. During the Renaissance, France experienced a vast cultural development and established the beginning of a global colonial empire. The 16th century was dominated by religious civil wars between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots).

Richard Gasquet

Richard Gasquet (French pronunciation: ​[ʁiʃaʁ ɡasˈkɛ]) (born 18 June 1986) is a French tennis player. He won the mixed doubles Grand Slam title at the 2004 French Open, partnering Tatiana Golovin. His career-high singles ranking is World No. 7, achieved in July 2007. In singles, his best achievements in Grand Slams are reaching the semifinals of the 2007 and 2015 Wimbledon Championships and the semifinals of the 2013 US Open. Gasquet is best known for his long winding groundstrokes and his one-handed backhand.

Career

Early years

As a junior, Gasquet posted a 44–7 singles record and was ranked no. 1 in the world in September 2002.

He made his debut on the ATP tour in April 2002, at the Tennis Masters Series tournament at Monte Carlo where he received a wildcard into qualifying and became the youngest player ever to qualify for a Tennis Masters event. At the age of 15 years, 10 months, he defeated Argentina's Franco Squillari in the first round of that tournament to become the youngest player to win a tour-level main draw match since Tommy Ho at Rye Brook in 1988.

Alexander Zverev

Alexander Zverev (born 22 January 1960) is a former professional tennis player from Russia who competed for the Soviet Union.

Career

In 1979, the Russian made his first appearance for the Soviet Davis Cup team.

Zverev was a bronze medalist in the men's singles event at the 1983 Summer Universiade won a singles gold medal at the Friendship Games, which were held in 1984. He did better than two years earlier at the 1985 Summer Universiade, winning both the singles gold medal and the doubles gold medal, partnering Sergi Leonyuk, with whom he was also a gold medalist in the 1986 Goodwill Games.

He appeared in three Grand Slam tournaments during his career. In the 1985 Australian Open he qualified for the main draw and was beaten in the opening round by Tim Wilkison. Again playing as a qualifier, Zverev met Tim Mayotte in the first round of the 1986 Wimbledon Championships and was defeated in straight sets. As a mixed doubles player he took part in the 1986 French Open, with Svetlana Cherneva.