Spain’s Rafael Nadal won the battle of the boy wonders in the French Open on Friday, dispatching home hope Richard Gasquet in straight sets to reach the last 16.
The fourth seed won comfortably 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in just one hour and 49 minutes to set up a tie against either Sebastien Grosjean of France or Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, with a place in the quarterfinals beckoning.
It was a huge disappointment for the Roland Garros crowd, who see Gasquet as a future world champion, but it once again underlined that Nadal, playing in his first French Open, is the big threat to Roger Federer for the title.
The showdown between the two 18-year-olds, who have catapulted to the fore in men’s tennis over the past few months, had been hotly anticipated since last week’s draw left them on a third-round collision course.
Nadal went into the match having won 19 clay-court matches in a row, including title wins at Barcelona, Monte Carlo and Rome.
But the ultra-talented shotmaker Gasquet was thought to represent a real danger, having taken on and beaten the imposing Nadal when they were dominating the boys’ tournaments a few years back.
He is also one of just two players to have beaten Federer in 2005.
It was the Spaniard who struck first, silencing a packed Philippe Chatrier Centre Court by breaking Gasquet in the first game of the match.
Games went with serve after that, with Nadal solidly encamped behind his baseline and Gasquet usually the first to attempt to take the initiative.
Sometimes it worked, eliciting a huge cheer from the crowd, but more often than not his high-risk game ended in an unforced error.
Gasquet got to 30-0 with Nadal serving for the set at 5-4, but the Spaniard rattled off four straight points to take a one-set lead.
The players exchanged breaks to open the second set before Nadal’s greater control and determination allowed him to dominate the match, breaking the Gasquet serve twice more to take the second set 6-3 in 33 minutes.
The Frenchman looked lost knowing that to win he would have to go the five sets’ distance, something he had never done before in his short career.
Nadal, well on top by now, broke Gasquet to lead 2-0 in the third set and although the Frenchman did manage to level, the Spaniard rattled off four straight games to charge into the fourth round. — Sapa-AFP