in great form, Richard Gasquet wins against Borna Coric and advances to the second round

For his 21st Roland-Garros, the Frenchman offered himself an authoritarian victory in three sets (7-6 [7-5]7-6 [7-2]6-4).

Stainless. Opposed to the 73rd in the world, the Croatian Borna Coric, Richard Gasquet (124th) was nostalgic on the Suzanne-Lenglen court, Sunday May 26, by winning in the first round of Roland-Garros (7-6 [7-5]7-6 [7-2], 6-4) in 3h23. Recipient of a wild card to participate in the Parisian Grand Slam, the 37-year-old from Béziers honored his invitation. Voluntary in the exchange, confident on his backhand and very offensive on his forehand, the Frenchman delighted a court which was just waiting to get carried away from the first points of the match, regularly pushing his opponent to make mistakes. In the next round, he will face the winner of the match between Jannik Sinner (2nd) and Christopher Eubanks (43rd).

Still enigmatic about a possible end of career and the hypothesis of playing his last Roland-Garros before the tournament, the Frenchman held his place and won the right to compete in the second round. It will be against Jannik Sinner or Christopher Eubanks, who face each other tomorrow.

For his 21st participation at Porte d’Auteuil, “Richie” spared no effort, far from it. First to concede the break, he reacted perfectly by immediately returning the favor to his opponent. During a first set where he imposed his game, despite extended points, he gently took the Suzanne-Lenglen audience with him, helped by some striking winning shots. Imperturbable during the tie-break, he left the audience dreaming of an exploit.

A dream that became more and more credible throughout the second set, also concluded in the decisive game. Richard Gasquet continued to lead the rally and to be uncompromising on his play, conceding only four points and no break points. Even his chronic ineffectiveness in concluding on the opponent’s serve (eight break points left on the way) did not affect him, the Frenchman choosing instead to embrace his destiny with two magnificent winning shots to lead two sets to nothing.

In the third set, he first let go of his serve, raising fears of a legitimate drop in performance at 37 years old. Nothing happened. As in the first round, he was able to remobilize himself to immediately respond to his opponent, in order to take his throw twice, concluding the match with a sublime passing. IIt’s a safe bet that his success today will keep a special place in his heart.