Rafael Nadal shut out last French hope Richard Gasquet 6-0, 7-5, 6-2 in the second round at Roland Garros.
This means no French male or female player will be in the third round at Roland Garros for the first time since tennis turned professional in 1968.
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It is the first time since Wimbledon 2007 that no local player features in the third round of their home Grand Slam.
Nadal, celebrating his 35th birthday on Thursday, improved to 17-0 in his head-to-head record against Gasquet, one of the most one-sided match-ups in Open Era history.
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The last time Gasquet took a set off the Spaniard was back in 2008 at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto – since then, Nadal has recorded 31 sets in a row against the Frenchman.
Teen spirit
Carlos Alcaraz upset 28th seed Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday to become the youngest man to reach the third round at this tournament since 17-year-old Andrei Medvedev in 1992.
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Alcaraz is also the youngest man to advance this far at Grand Slam since 17-year-old Rafael Nadal at the 2004 Australian Open.
Striking similarities 👀@alcarazcarlos03 | @RafaelNadal | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/CGVsGxJADq
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 3, 2021
“Obviously it’s good, the numbers, but I still focus on me,” Alcaraz said.
“That means that I’m going the right way. I am doing the right things, and I keep [doing] this. I’m still growing up as a player and as a person, and that’s the important thing.”
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This is Alcaraz’s main draw debut on the Parisian clay. Eight months ago, he lost in the first round of qualifying here.
