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Pierce wins, Gasquet stays hot

Mary Pierce breezed past her opponent into the second round of Wimbledon defeating Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-4.

Updated on: Jun 23, 2005, 18:26:00 IST
PTI | By , London
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Mary Pierce lead a clutch of French women into the second round of Wimbledon on Tuesday, defeating Czech Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-4.

HT Image
HT Image

The 30-year-old, who enjoyed a dream run to the French Open final earlier this month, used all her experience to beat an opponent 12 years her junior.

Pierce, the 12th seed, was joined in the second round by compatriots Virginie Razzano, Nathalie Dechy, Severine Beltrame and Marion Bartoli, although there was disappointment for 18th seed Tatiana Golovin, beaten by Alyona Bondarenko 6-3 3-6 7-5.

Richard Gasquet, who took over as the French number one from Sebastien Grosjean on Monday after claiming his first ATP title at Nottingham on Saturday, maintained his hot streak on grass, ousting Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-2.

The 19-year-old, one of only three players to beat world number one Roger Federer this year, is playing at Wimbledon for only the second time but looked impressive as he unleashed his full repertoire of silky winners.

With Belgian Gilles Elseneer up next, former world junior champion Gasquet is bang on course for a mouth-watering third round clash with French Open champion Rafael Nadal.

The teenage duo who are tipped to battle each other for grand slam titles over the coming years, met at the French Open where Nadal cruised to a straight sets victory.

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