He resisted for one round. The 37-year-old Frenchman Richard Gasquet was logically beaten on Tuesday in the first round of the Australian Open by the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, world number 2 (7-6, 6-1, 6-2). A nice contrast of styles... and generations. When Richard Gasquet played his first Australian Open in 2003, Carlos Alcaraz was not born.
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- Australian Open: women's schedule and results
- Australian Open: men's schedule and results
Solid on his serves, the player from Biterre offered a good opposition in the first set, only losing it in the tie-break (7 points to 5), before losing heavily the next two. Targeted by Alcaraz's powerful and precise shots, his excellent backhand gradually lost its effectiveness. Gasquet hasn't reached the second round of a Grand Slam tournament in a year and a half.
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For his part, the 19-year-old Spaniard continues his quest for a third Grand Slam title after the 2022 US Open and Wimbledon in 2023. In a draw where he is the main rival of Novak Djokovic, the defending champion and ten-time winner in Melbourne, he will face Italy's Lorenzo Sonego in the next round.