Monday evening, the game between the two men, already disrupted several times by bad weather, was finally suspended until the next day, when the 35-year-old Frenchman led 6-1, 5-2.
Tuesday, the Biterrois, semi-finalist last week in Geneva after notably beating the world No.2 Daniil Medevedev, continued solidly on his momentum, quickly winning the two points he lacked to win the second set before making the entry station wagon in the third.
He then quietly managed his lead to win the match after less than 45 minutes on court today, in a game that lasted less than two hours.
"It was important to win this second set, it gives me confidence for the future", underlined just after his victory the Frenchman, 70th in the world, who is participating in his 19th Roland-Garros.
"I try to play as much as possible. It's fabulous to be able to hold on. I hope I can continue to do so to go further in the tournament," he concluded.
On Wednesday, Gasquet will meet in the second round the American Sebastian Korda (30th), victorious against John Millman (91st), 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 (8/6).
"He's the new generation, he'll be in the top 10 in the world pretty soon and he could win Grand Slams soon. He's a big player, a lot of talent, so it's going to be a tough game. But there's I have nothing to lose, I want to do well, so I will give my best to try to win this match", said the Biterrois in a press conference.
His compatriot Arthur Rinderknech, who also had to play his match over two days, will not see the second round, however, beaten Tuesday by Kazakh Alexander Bublik, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Already led 6-2, 4-2 on Monday evening, the Frenchman, 68th in the world, whose preparation on earth was truncated by a resurgent injury to his right wrist, failed to turn the tide on Tuesday.
© 2022 AFP