Curtain Call: Jannik Sinner's victory marks Richard Gasquet's emotional retirement at Roland Garros

Jannik Sinner claimed victory over Richard Gasquet with a score of 6-3, 6-0, 6-4, marking the end of the legendary Frenchman's illustrious 23-year career. The former French No. 7 concludes his career with over 600 wins, placing him among the top 30 male players with the most matches won in their careers.

The world No. 1 had no major issues against Gasquet in a match where he was the overwhelming favorite. It was undoubtedly a remarkable farewell for Gasquet in front of his home crowd on Philippe Chatrier, facing the best player of the moment.

Sinner started with a dominant service game, landing 75% of his first serves and winning 86% of those points. The Italian was focused from the outset and capitalized on his first break opportunities to take the lead in the 4th game. Sinner surged ahead to 4-1, winning 12 of his first 13 service points, clearly demonstrating his superiority over Gasquet.

The Frenchman with the one-handed backhand had a good showing on his side, despite the break. He was solid on his own serve, though he didn't pose much threat to his opponent on return. Before the set ended, Gasquet had three break opportunities but couldn't convert them. The single break ultimately sealed the set for Sinner 6-3 after 40 minutes.

As expected, Sinner took absolute control of the match, and by the second set, he was clearly a cut above his opponent. Gasquet struggled with his serve, landing only 43% of his first serves, which the Italian exploited. This time, Sinner was even more decisive on return, converting 3 out of 5 break points. With no issues on his serve, Sinner secured a straightforward 6-0 set.

The Italian had little to do on his end, with 4 winners and 5 unforced errors, compared to 2 and 9 respectively from the local player. The 23-year-old remained firm from the baseline, looking superior in exchanges to close out the set after 31 minutes.

Everything seemed decided at this point, with Gasquet a step behind the three-time Grand Slam champion. Nevertheless, the world No. 166 managed to stay in contention throughout the third set, holding his serve without problems until 4-4, with neither player having had any break opportunities.

However, Sinner didn't want to prolong the match too much and stepped on the accelerator at the crucial moment. A couple of break opportunities in the 9th game put Sinner ahead, who then comfortably closed out the win with his serve 6-3, 6-0, 6-4, totaling 27 winners and 19 unforced errors, and winning a remarkable 74% of his service points.

With this, Gasquet concludes his career with a total of 609 victories in over 1000 matches played. He achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 7, won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games, secured a total of 16 ATP titles, in addition to his best Grand Slam appearances with three semifinals: Wimbledon 2007 and 2016, and US Open 2013. On the other side, Sinner advances to the third round, where he will face the formidable Czech Jiri Lehecka.