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· Trystan Pugh

French Open 2018 – Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet Preview

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AT A GLANCE

Where is Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet taking place? Court Philippe Chatrier, Roland-Garros, Paris

When is Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet on and what time does it start? Saturday 2nd June, 2018 - (not before) 13:30 (UK)

What channel is Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet on? ITV4 (UK)

Where can I stream Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet? The match can be streamed via the ITV Player

Where can I get tickets for Rafael Nadal vs Richard Gasquet? https://tickets.rolandgarros.com/en/home

THE LOWDOWN

RAFAEL NADAL

  • Nadal has been his usual unstoppable self at Roland-Garros so far, sweeping aside both Simone Bolelli and Guido Pella in straight sets despite both those opponents giving good accounts of themselves.
  • The Spaniard was already the favourite to defend his French Open crown but now that plenty of seeds have fallen in Paris, the path is clear for him to secure an 11th title in Paris.
  • Given his imperious record against Gasquet, Nadal will not feel he needs to adapt his style of play so expect more of the same baseline dominance from the world number one.

RICHARD GASQUET

  • Gasquet's progress so far has been relatively smooth with the only blip being a dropped set against Malek Jaziri in the second round, although that was a match he otherwise dominated.
  • His record against Nadal makes for grim reading for the Frenchman, having lost on all 15 occasions they have met in their career, including seven times on clay.
  • Gasquet's coach Fabrice Santoro has urged his understudy to mix his tactics up and try a different approach, and that is surely the only way he is going to trouble an opponent who has always had his number.

THE STATISTICS

THE PREDICTION

Gasquet has struggled against the very top players throughout his career and his record against Nadal is testament to that. Perhaps the only way he can give himself a glimmer of hope against the King of Clay here is to completely change his playstyle in an attempt to catch the Spaniard off guard, but it is highly unlikely such an approach will be successful over the long format of a Grand Slam match.

Many are claiming that Nadal already has one hand on the French Open trophy this year, and while it is still early days in the tournament, he is likely to bulldoze his way through this third round clash in straight sets.

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