Arnaud Di Pasquale
Arnaud Di Pasquale (born 11 February 1979 in Casablanca, Morocco ) is a former French tennis player.
Life and career
Arnaud Di Pasquale grew up in Casablanca in his father, and learned at the age of seven years to play tennis. After moving to France, he joined in 1994 at the international junior tournaments, and won at the 1995 German Open for his first title. In the years 1996 and 1997 Di Pasquale was able to win many more junior tournaments, including the U.S. Open in 1997. He finished 1997 as the No. 1 junior world rankings, and was pro in 1998.
Since 1996, he had gained experience and first world ranking points on satellite tournaments. In February 1998, he was then able to qualify for an ATP tournament in Marseille for the first time, but retired in the first round against Francisco Roig from. A month later, he succeeded in Casablanca also as a qualifier against Arnaud Boetsch his first ATP win the match. In April 1998, he reached a Challenger final, where he lost narrowly Mariano Puerta in Nice. On the way to the final he had a player in the top 100 clearly defeated with Martin Sinner. For the French Open in 1998 Di Pasquale was given a wildcard, however, he retired in the first round in five sets against Olivier DELAITRE from. In June 1998, he was in Pribram by a victory over Radek Stepanek win his first Challenger title, and for the first time then rose into the top 200 of the world tennis rankings. Few weeks later, Di Pasquale was in Contrexévillenear again in a Challenger final, but which he lost to Younes El Aynaoui. At the U.S. Open in 1998, Arnaud Di Pasquale has successfully qualified, and then won against David Wheaton his first Grand Slam match before he had to retire in the second round against Michael Kohlmann. In September 1998, he achieved his biggest success of his career: In Bucharest, he reached his first ATP as a qualifier final. Although he was defeated in three sets Francisco Clavet, however, moved by the first time into the top 100.
The year 1999 began less successful for Arnaud Di Pasquale, until May 1999, he was able to reach two ATP quarter-final in Prague and Hamburg. In 1999 he reached the French Open after beating Christophe Rochus, Max Mirnyi and Christian Ruud the second round, where he was eliminated by eventual finalists Andriy Medvedev. In October 1999, Arnaud Di Pasquale won in Palermo by defeating Alberto Berasategui his first and only ATP title. He had to first defeat a Top 10 player in the quarterfinals with Àlex Corretja. He finished the year ranked 52 in the world rankings.
The first major success in 2000 was reaching the semi-finals at the ATP tournament in Casablanca in April 2000. Whereupon it achieved 39th place with his best world ranking. The next few months passed without major highlights: After a Erstrundenaus at the French Open Di Pasquale difference in Wimbledon and at the U.S. Open each of the second round. Nevertheless, he was qualified as one of four Frenchmen for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, and was surprisingly semi-finals there. He defeated among others the world rankings Fourth Magnus Norman. In the semifinals, Di Pasquale lost though to eventual winners Yevgeny Kafelnikov, but he could be in the 3rd place match enforce against the then nineteen- year-old Roger Federer and thus win the bronze medal. Later in the year he could win no more match, he ended the year but number 60 in the world rankings.
Also in 2001, he could not go on from his Olympic success: The only highlight of the year was reaching the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters, where he was world number one Marat Safin defeated in the first round, but then calculated against Roger Federer clearly lost. After the U.S. Open, he had to because of injuries to the knee and back, pause for several months, and was thus in the world ranking up to rank 144 back.
It was only in April 2002, Arnaud Di Pasquale could again take to tournaments, and won in May 2002 as a qualifier, the Challenger tournament in Ljubljana. For the French Open 2002, he got a wild card, and reached as early as 1999 the second round, where he lost to the on position 2 set Marat Safin. By the end he reached in Indianapolis, Bucharest and Barcelona three ATP quarter-final, and managed by the re-entry into the top 100
But the comeback ended in the spring of 2003, when Arnaud Di Pasquale paused longer due to a herniated disc and can be eventually had to operate. After a year break, he returned in April 2004 for the tour back, and was able to achieve equal a Challenger final, which he lost narrowly to Gilles Müller in his second tournament in Naples. At the French Open in 2004 he got a wild card, and could against the former world number one Lleyton Hewitt after all, win a set. By the end of Di Pasquale won three ATP matches, and worked in the World Ranking Lists up to rank 234 before.
But this should remain his last performances at ATP tournaments: In the years 2005 and 2006 Di Pasquale approached only with the Challenger and Futures tournaments. He was only in June 2006 in Milan reach again a Challenger final, but nevertheless declared the beginning of 2007 due to the ongoing injury problems at the age of 27 years, his retirement from professional tennis.