This time, the step was a little too high for a breathless Gilles Simon.
During his career, the 37-year-old tricolor veteran had got into the habit of getting into the head of Marin Cilic, whom he had beaten six out of seven times. But this time, the Frenchman did not have the weapons to counter the power of the Croatian (No. 20), still green at 33 (6-0, 6-3, 6-2).
For a set and a half, the former world No. 6 even had a little ordeal and had to wait 6-0, 2-0 to finally register a game.
🔥 The Chatrier audience is fully behind Gilles Simon who is fighting to stay in the game!
He is led two sets to nothing by Marin Cilic.
RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/gOnu5pjjX5
— Lucas Morvan (@LucasMorvan18) May 28, 2022
In three sets, with an ace to conclude, the winner of the 2014 US Open therefore put an end to the career of the Nice player at Roland-Garros in his 17th participation.
Simon has indeed announced that he will definitely put away the rackets at the end of the season, probably at the Masters 1000 in Bercy.
After the eliminations of Diane Parry on Friday and Léolia Jeanjean and Alizé Cornet on Saturday at the start of the afternoon, only Hugo Gaston remains to defend the blue-white-red colors on the Parisian clay court.
In the 3rd round, the Toulousain faces the Dane Rune on Saturday evening on the Philippe-Chatrier court.
