Gasquet wins first title on 19th birthday

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) _ Richard Gasquet won his first ATP Tour title Saturday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Max Mirnyi in the 10tele.com Open. <br/><br/>The Frenchman took control from the outset, breaking

Saturday, June 18th 2005, 11:38 am

By: News On 6

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) _ Richard Gasquet won his first ATP Tour title Saturday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Max Mirnyi in the 10tele.com Open.

The Frenchman took control from the outset, breaking in his first service game. Mirnyi called for an injury break between sets to treat his hand, but it didn't affect Gasquet's concentration.

Gasquet, celebrating his 19th birthday, was given a cake during the presentation ceremony. Mirnyi led the crowd in a rendition of ``Happy Birthday.''

``If you had told me at the start of this year that I would win my first tournament on grass, I would not have expected it,'' Gasquet said. ``It is great for me to prove I can play on the surface and now I believe I can go a long way at Wimbledon next week.''

Gasquet is seeded 27th at Wimbledon and plays Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round. He could meet Rafael Nadal _ the Spanish teenager who won the French Open earlier this month _ in the third round.

His projected path could set up a semifinal match with Andy Roddick, and a final with two-time defending champion Roger Federer.

Mirnyi was gracious in defeat.

``Richard has played a good match and he deserved to win,'' Mirnyi said. ``My injury was just another of those obstacles which are put in your way sometimes and which you have got to try to overcome.''