It’s a blow for tricolor tennis. Richard Gasquet, 70th in the world, did not come across a great Sebastian Korda (30th) on Wednesday May 25, but he nevertheless came up against the American obstacle by losing in three short sets (7-6 ( 7/5), 6-3, 6-3), in the second round of Roland-Garros. Semi-finalist in Geneva just before starting the second round of the Grand Slam of the season, the Biterrois had high hopes before the Paris fortnight, he who could have faced the next round with the rising star of world tennis, Carlos Alcaraz .
Richard Gasquet has not passed the second round of the Parisian Major since 2018, when he was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the third round. The same Nadal who beat him last year in the second round. This year, after a first round which lasted two days due to the rain, the 35-year-old Frenchman resisted for 2 hours 19 minutes before giving up his arms, not without having inflamed the public of the Suzanne-Lenglen court with a few -some of his magical, precise and powerful backhands.
The good news for the French clan came from the side of Diane Parry. At 19 and after brilliantly defeating defending champion Barbora Krejcikova in the first round, the 97th player in the world overcame Colombian Camila Osorio (6-3, 6-3) to advance to the third round where she will face the American Sloane Stephens (64th), finalist at Roland-Garros in 2018 and winner of the US Open 2017. “I don’t intend to stop there! “Launched Diane Parry at the end of the meeting. “It’s pure happiness and I’m going to give my all to go as far as possible,” she added. She reached the third round of a Major for the first time, having already reached the second round in Paris in 2019, when she was still a junior.
The suspense will never have existed. Faced with his idol Rafael Nadal, Corentin Moutet, 139th in the world and invited, was powerless who inflicted a scathing defeat on him in three sets (6-3, 6-1, 6-4), in 2 hours 9. At 23 years old , Moutet was participating in his fifth Major on clay, without ever having passed the 3rd round reached in 2019. That year, Juan Ignacio Londero had deprived him of a match against Rafael Nadal in the round of 16.
In a one-sided encounter, Moutet will – perhaps – be satisfied with having managed, in the third set, to take Nadal’s face-off twice on his favorite court where he lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires thirteen times. . But it is indeed the Spaniard, in search of a 14th title at Roland-Garros which would allow him to bring his record of Grand Slam titles to 22, who will face the Dutchman Botic van de Zanschulp (29th) to climb into second week.
