France's Richard Gasquet defeated his compatriot Benoit Paire 6-1 3-6 6-1 to advance at the Monte Carlo Masters this afternoon.
It looked as though world number nine Gasquet was going to ease to victory when he broke Paire two times to claim the opening set in just under 30 minutes.
However, Paire rallied during the second set and was able to claim a break of Gasquet's serve early on. That proved enough for the 23-year-old to force a deciding set.
He was unable to maintain that level of performance during the third rubber, though, as Gasquet began to dominate with a string of forehand strokes.
Another two breaks of the Paire serve followed, which allowed Gasquet to ease into round three of the competition where he will take on either Marin Cilic, Jerzy Janowicz or Kevin Anderson.
Liam Apicella
