Gasquet out in further blow to Paris Masters

PARIS, Nov 2 (Reuters) French number one Richard Gasquet pulled out of the Paris Masters with an injury today in a further blow to the depleted indoor event.

Gasquet, seeded 16th, withdrew before his scheduled third-round match against Russian Marat Safin because of a torn right thigh muscle.

''It's not a serious injury but it's very painful and I can't play,'' said the Frenchman, who will have to rest for two weeks.

The 20-year-old won his third title of the year in Lyon last week.

His injury, combined with defeats today for Julien Benneteau and Paul-Henri Mathieu, ended French presence in the tournament.

World number five Nikolay Davydenko is the highest-ranked player in an event which started without five of the world's top six players after a string of high profile no-shows.

REUTERS PDM BST2338