Sinner sends Gasquet into retirement, Djokovic marches on

PARIS: French Open veteran Richard Gasquet’s career ended in defeat by Jannik Sinner while seasoned campaigner Novak Djokovic continued his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title by battling into the Roland Garros third round on Thursday.

Third seed Alexander Zverev, teenager Mirra Andreeva and American title contenders Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys all won on a windy afternoon but former champion Barbora Krejcikova and ninth seed Alex De Minaur crashed out.

Top seed Sinner brought the curtain down on Gasquet’s long professional journey, hammering the 38-year-old 6-3 6-0 6-4 for his second win over the local favorite in as many editions of Roland Garros and then led the tributes.

“We’re different generations, but it’s your moment. You played in such an incredible era of tennis and everyone will recognize you, even after retirement,” said Sinner, before a touching video tribute featuring Gasquet’s peers.

Gasquet’s compatriot Gael Monfils, also 38, lit up the evening session on Court Philippe Chatrier as he pushed fifth seeded Briton Jack Draper in a sensational match that had a partisan crowd screaming for more.

Draper eventually won 6-3 4-6 6-3 7-5 but had to battle back from 5-2 down in the fourth set to avoid a decider.

“My brain was fried out here. I’m not sure if I am going to go to sleep tonight because my brain is just all over the place with what he was doing out here,” Draper said of the man he described as a magician.

While Sinner and Gasquet showcased clean hitting in their match, third seed Alexander Zverev had to chase down dozens of drop shots from Dutchman Jesper de Jong before securing a 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-3 victory.

Surprise 2024 semifinalist Andreeva took apart the powerful Ashlyn