Kevin Anderson eases past Richard Gasquet in straight sets

Kevin Anderson has advanced into the fourth round of the Australian Open courtesy of a 6-4 7-6 7-6 victory over Richard Gasquet this morning.

The 24th seed lost his serve in the opening game of the contest, allowing his South African opponent to hold in order to claim an early foothold in the contest.

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Following a tightly contested second set, which saw both players win serve on one occasion each, a tie-break was required to separate them.

It was Anderson who once more held his nerve to claim a 2-0 lead overall, despite missing one set point which Gasquet failed to capitalise on.

The third and final set saw both men hold their serve throughout to set up another decider, although both struggled to find their rhythm.

Gasquet was afforded two chances to pull a set back and up the pressure on his opponent, but having squandered both openings it was left for Anderson to win four points in a row to claim the match.

Rafael Nadal or Dudi Sela await in the next round.