Staff Reporter.
@FrenchOpen.
Defending champion Rafael Nadal set up a French Open third-round meeting with Britain’s Cameron Norrie by beating long-time opponent Richard Gasquet.
Spanish third seed Nadal, who has known Gasquet since they were juniors, won 6-0 7-5 6-2 on his 35th birthday.
Earlier on Thursday, Norrie reached the last 32 on the Paris clay for the first time as he came from a set down to beat South Africa’s Lloyd Harris.
Norrie, ranked 45th in the world, is the last Briton in the singles draws.
British number ones Dan Evans and Johanna Konta, as well as Heather Watson, were beaten in the first round at Roland Garros.
But Norrie ensured there would continue to be a British presence with a 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-2 win against world number 54 Harris.
Whether the 25-year-old can go any further depends if he can inflict any damage on 13-time champion Nadal.
In his post-match news conference, Norrie jokingly sent a message of support to Gasquet, telling him he could beat Nadal and earn a first tour-level win over him at the 17th attempt.
Nadal was in no mood to allow Gasquet to end that dismal record.
Playing with ruthless intensity from the start, Nadal lost just nine points in a 22-minute opening set and swiftly moved 5-2 ahead in the second.
Nadal was unable to convert a set point in the eighth game when Gasquet pushed him back in the court with a deep forehand and that proved to be a catalyst for the Frenchman to belatedly turn the match into a contest.
A tweak of his tactics saw Gasquet play more aggressively, helping him to unexpectedly fight back for 5-5 before Nadal refocused to break for the set.
The third set was also competitive until Nadal broke decisively in the sixth game and again in the final game for a convincing win.
“I played an amazing first set, I don’t feel Richard was playing that bad to have that score. I didn’t miss a ball and was hitting the spots all the time,” said Nadal.
“The second was a little bit different and I was happy to win that, then I was a little bit more controlled.
“The important thing is to win the match, but of course it is better to win in straight sets. The main thing is I’m playing well.”
Norrie arrived at Roland Garros on a run of good form having reached two finals in May and has now claimed 25 wins in 2021.
It is the third time Norrie has reached this stage at a Grand Slam, having done so at the 2020 US Open and 2021 Australian Open, and he explained what has changed over the past year.