Nadal through to face Gasquet at French Open

Rafael Nadal will resume a 20-year history of matches against Richard Gasquet when the pair meet in the third round of the French Open.

The Spaniard continued his march towards an 11th title as he dropped just four games in beating Guido Pella 6-2 6-1 6-1 on Thursday.

Top seed Nadal’s unparalleled record now stands at 81 wins and two defeats at Roland Garros.

Gasquet, seeded 27th, defeated Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-0 in his second-round tie.

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Nadal turns 32 on Sunday and Gasquet just 15 days later, and the pair have been playing each other since they were juniors.

Unfortunately for Gasquet, the head-to-head in professional meetings between the pair stands at 15-0 to Nadal, stretching back to 2004.

The Frenchman will go into Saturday’s match in a positive, if realistic, frame of mind.

“I’ll try to do my best, because unless there is a disaster he has a good chance of winning,” said Gasquet.

“He’s extraordinary. We all know he is. I’m just going to get on the court and try to play a good match.

“It’s a great draw for me. It will be on the centre court. There will be a lot of people. I intend to have a good match.”

Nadal has now won his last 27 sets at Roland Garros and looks as dominant as ever on the Parisian clay.

The Spaniard hit 37 winners against Pella as, ominously for the rest of the field, his forehand began to “find more of the right spots”.

There is unlikely to be any let-up against Gasquet, despite the mutual respect between the pair.

“We met each other first time when we were 12,” said Nadal. “We practised hundreds of times together when he came to Mallorca.

“First thing is he’s a very good person, no? He’s a very normal guy, one of the guys on the tour that creates good atmosphere. He always has a positive attitude.”

Nadal and Gasquet long ago pic.twitter.com/5wqWeFHIIE

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) May 31, 2018

Both singled out as future Grand Slam champions from an early age, Gasquet admitted that Nadal had been a hard act to follow throughout his career.

“You know, that’s a bit of a problem that there was a comparison with Rafa Nadal,” he said. “But at least I can still say that I was compared to him at one time.”

Shapovalov out, Del Potro finding form

Nadal’s path through the draw was cleared of another potential danger as Canadian 24th seed Denis Shapovalov lost 5-7 7-6(4) 7-5 6-4 to Germany’s Maximilian Marterer, the world No.70.

Shapovalov was playing only his fourth Grand Slam main draw but such has been the 19-year-old’s rise, including a breakthrough win over Nadal in Canada last year, he had been expected to provide a test for the champion in round four.

“Max played a really good match, coming with big shots when he needed.”

In a battle of young lefties, it was Maximiliam Marterer who came out on top. More on the German's four-set battle with Denis Shapovalov –> https://t.co/OutPythMTJ #RG18 pic.twitter.com/76no5oa4ob

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2018

“Obviously I’m disappointed with the loss, but I’m only 19, so not every week is going to be a semi-finals of a big tournament. It’s going to be ups and downs,” said Shapovalov.

The second quarter of the men’s draw still contains a number of familiar threats after third seed Marin Cilic, fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro, sixth seed Kevin Anderson and ninth seed John Isner all won on Thursday.

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“I feel better than in the first round. I was able to make more winners, to run better,” said Del Potro after an impressive 6-4 6-3 6-2 win over Julien Benneteau.

A potential title challenger in the bottom half of the draw also made it through to round three as seventh seed Dominic Thiem finished his rain-delayed match against talented teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas, with the Austrian prevailing 6-2 2-6 6-4 6-4.