Jannik SINNER asserts his authority over Richard GASQUET in straight sets victory at French Open

Jannik Sinner (No. 2) secured an easy victory against Richard Gasquet (No. 124) with a score of 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Under a great atmosphere at Philippe Chatrier, the young Italian continues his strong run at the French Open, aiming to reach the world No. 1 ranking. Sinner came into the match after a straight-sets win over Christopher Eubanks, while Gasquet surprised Borna Coric.

In the first round, at 37 years and 343 days old, Gasquet became the second-oldest French player to win a match at a Grand Slam, following Stephane Robert. He hadn't won a Grand Slam match since the 2022 US Open, where he reached the third round before falling to Rafael Nadal.

This is the 21st time Gasquet has played in the main draw of the French Open, tying Feliciano Lopez for the most appearances in the tournament. Gasquet debuted at just 15 years and 7 months old thanks to a wildcard in 2002. This year, he once again entered the tournament with an invitation from the organizers.

Now in the latter part of his career and out of the top 100, the talented Frenchman didn't seem to have many chances against the favorite Sinner, but it was a great opportunity for the French crowd to witness a high-level show featuring one of the best players in their history.

From the start of the match, Sinner showed great form, and Gasquet was able to compete with him for several games. The Italian capitalized on Gasquet's initial uncertainties in the seventh game, securing a single break that gave him enough advantage to take the set 6-4. The former world No. 7 had a poor 40% first-serve percentage, which benefited Sinner, who always forced his rival to play longer points from the return.

Despite a competitive first set, the second set began with an immediate break in favor of Sinner, who took the lead from the start and gave no opportunities with his serve. Gasquet began to look more demoralized, leading to the second break for the Italian, who closed the set 6-2 in just 33 minutes.

With a substantial lead, Sinner stepped on the gas and started the third set with a break, quickly going up 2-0. There was still time for Gasquet to showcase some interesting shots for the crowd, especially when the score seemed unassailable, helping him break back and bring the score to 2-2, thrilling the local crowd.

The Frenchman made efforts to maintain competitiveness throughout much of the match, but Sinner was far superior. The Italian had no trouble taking a new break immediately and then gracefully closing the match 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the third round. His next match will be against the winner between Pavel Kotov and Stan Wawrinka.