Richard Gasquet storms to victory over Borna Coric in opening semi-final rubber

Richard Gasquet has defeated Croatia's Borna Coric to give France a winning start in the opening Davis Cup singles semi-final rubber.

An injury-hit France, without Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga due to knee complaints, got off the mark thanks to Gasquet's 6-2 7-6(5) 6-1 triumph in Zadar.

Gasquet dominated the match, holding throughout the opening set and breaking his opponent twice to cruise into an early lead, but the second set proved to be a tighter affair.

A tie-break was required after a couple of breaks either way, with the world number 17 coming out on top after seeing Coric make 18 unforced errors throughout.

Gasquet was comfortably over the line with a straightforward third-set win, earning three breaks to ensure that France remain well on course for a place in the tournament final.