Rafael Nadal stormed into the French Open third round on Thursday as he continued his bid for an 11th title by sweeping aside Argentinian Guido Pella 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.

The top seed had struggled past lucky loser Simone Bolelli in the first round, but was back to his best as he raced through the last two sets in just 65 minutes.

The 31-year-old will next face home favourite and his old junior rival Richard Gasquet, whom he has beaten 15 times from as many meetings in professional tennis.

“I’m very happy, I played more aggressive than in the first round, so I’m very happy with that,” said Nadal.

“Richard (Gasquet) is a very good friend. We’ve known each other since we were 11 or 12 years old so it will be very special to play again against him on such an important court (Philippe Chatrier) for my career.”

Making a rare appearance on the secondary Court Suzanne Lenglen, Nadal was almost caught cold in the very first game as he was forced to save four break points, but he quickly found his groove and broke for a 4-2 lead.

World number 78 Pella did his best to resist the great Spaniard, saving four set points, but hit a forehand into the net on the fifth.

The rest of the match was totally one-sided, as the 16-time Grand Slam champion finished with 24 forehand winners against an outclassed opponent.

Thiem, Cilic struggle

Title challengers Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem struggled into the French Open last 32 on Thursday.

Third seed Cilic reached the third round for the eighth time with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-7 3/7), 7-5 win over Polish qualifier and world number 188 Hubert Hurkacz.

Former US Open champion Cilic, who reached the quarter-finals in Paris last year, will face Steve Johnson of the United States for a place in the last 16.

However, it was a roller-coaster of a performance by newly-wed Cilic who cracked 48 winners but also 52 unforced errors.

He also squandered a match point in the third set.

“I was in control but played a poor third set so I had to start all over again,” said 29-year-year-old Cilic after his 20th match win of the season.

“I had to be positive, positive, positive. I screamed just to let it all out and I got the break in the 11th game.”

Seventh seeded Thiem, a semi-finalist in 2016 and 2017, racked up his 31st win of the year.

The Austrian, the only man to beat world number one Rafael Nadal on clay this year, saw off Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a match which had been suspended overnight after the third set. Next up for Thiem is Italy’s Matteo Berrettini.

Highly-rated Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov was knocked out by Germany’s Maximilian Marterer 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-4.

World number 70 Marterer, 22, has now reached the third round at successive Grand Slam events and will face Estonian lucky loser Jurgen Zopp

Results

Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Guido Pella (ARG) 6-2, 6-1, 6-1

Richard Gasquet (FRA x27) bt Malek Jaziri (TUN) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 6-0

Maximilian Marterer (GER) bt Denis Shapovalov (CAN x24) 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-4

Jurgen Zopp (EST) bt Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Borna Coric (CRO) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1

Mischa Zverev (GER) bt Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-3, 6-7 (0/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-1

Kevin Anderson (RSA x6) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4

Marin Cilic (CRO x3) bt Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 6-2, 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 7-5

Steve Johnson (USA) bt Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-2

Fabio Fognini (ITA x18) bt Elias Ymer (SWE) 6-4, 6-1, 6-2

Kyle Edmund (GBR x16) bt Márton Fucsovics (HUN) 6-0, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3

Albert Ramos Vinolas (ESP x31) bt Casper Ruud (NOR) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4

Dominic Thiem (AUT x7) bt Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

Lucas Pouille (FRA x15) bt Cameron Norrie (GBR) 6-2, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6

Juan Martin del Potro (ARG x5) bt Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-3, 6-2

With inputs from AFP