Paris [France], May 29 : Jannik Sinner shut the curtain down on Richard Gasquet's career as he soared to a convincing win to qualify for the third round of the French Open on Thursday.
In his 22nd appearance at the clay-court major in Paris, the 38-year-old Gasquet's last dance concluded with a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 defeat in a fixture that lasted for one hour and 58 minutes.
On the other hand, the number one-ranked tennis star extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 16, making him the first man born in 1990 or later to accomplish the feat.
Sinner paid a heartfelt tribute to Gasquet, who had announced last October that Roland Garros would be his final tournament.
"We have a good relationship off the court. We are different generations, but it's your moment," Sinner said to Gasquet as quoted from ATP.
"Congrats to your family, to your team. Without great people around each player, it's impossible to make such an incredible career. You played in such an incredible era of tennis, and everyone will recognise you, even after your retirement," he added.
Gasquet spent most of his 23-year-old career playing against the top stars and ended his career against the current number-one-ranked player. Gasquet boasts a career-high World No. 7 rank and holds the record for the most wins with a tally of 610 among Frenchmen in the Open Era.
"It's obviously a very special place for me to play. Against Richard, we already played last year here, it's always very tough. I'm generally very happy to be in the third round. Thank you guys for making it fair," Sinner said, who also beat Gasquet in Paris last year.
Throughout the contest, Gasquet turned back the clock and enchanted the spectators with his vintage one-handed backhand to carve out three break points. Still, it wasn't enough to faze the 23-year-old Italian, who held firm and retaliated valiantly.
Following the win, Sinner is en route to becoming the first Italian men's singles champion in the Open Era after Adriano Panatta, who achieved the feat in 1976. Sinner would need to trounce Jiri Lehcka in the third round to continue his journey in the French Open.
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