Richard reached the quarterfinals of Montpellier by defeating Lucas Pouille 6-3 7-6. His next opponent is the winner of Sela/Istomin.
After a first round-bye, this match against an upcoming compatriot was good test. Richard was never in danger in the first set, but he needed 4 breakpoints in the 4th game to achieve the decisive break.In the second set, Richard had 6 breakpoints in the 5th game, but could not convert. Pouille, on his side, took his first ever breakpoint for a 4-2 lead. Richard hang in and broke back straight away. The match went to a breaker, which was very much up and down from both players, with Richard 's greater experience finally doing it for him