The Frenchman appeared fatigued when Ferrer levelled the match at two sets all but his scintillating groundstrokes, especially his renowned one-handed backhand, gave him the upper hand in an entertaining match lasting three hours 23 minutes.
Gasquet moved into a semi-final against either second-seeded Nadal or fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo and he fully expected to face Nadal, against whom he has a 0-10 head-to-head record.
A YouTube clip titled 'Rafael Nadal 13 Years Old,' featuring the Spaniard playing against Gasquet as a junior, has attracted more than 600,000 viewers. Gasquet has been one of them.
"I saw on YouTube that video sometimes," the Frenchman said.
"People are talking about that video when I played against Rafa. On YouTube I can see I'm winning against him, so I don't believe it sometimes.
"It was a match in Tarbes, one of the biggest tournaments for the younger children under 14. It's good to win at under 14, but it is better to win as a pro."
Gasquet had clear memories of that junior match against Nadal.
"I didn't know him when I played him, when I was 13 years old," he said. "But he was already fighting a lot already. He was already running so much. I remember I won a set 6-4, and I told my father he's a big fighter.
"I didn't lie. I was true. In the future, this one is the biggest player in the world."
Gasquet's semi-final appearance will be his first at a major since he lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2007. Fatigue could be an issue for the Frenchman, following his back-to-back five-set wins against Canadian Milos Raonic and Ferrer.
"Right now, for sure, I'm a little bit tired," Gasquet said.
"But I have two days to recover. That makes a difference for me."
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