2021 ROLAND GARROSDAY 5 MEN’S NOTESThursday 3 June2nd Round Top Half

Featured matches No. 1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) v Pablo Cuevas (URU) No. 3 Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Richard Gasquet (FRA) No. 8 Roger Federer (SUI) v Marin Cilic (CRO) No. 9 Matteo Berrettini (ITA) v Federico Coria (ARG) No. 10 Diego Schwartzman (ARG) v Aljaz Bedene (SLO) No. 14 Gael Monfils (FRA) v Mikael Ymer (SWE) No. 18 Jannik Sinner (ITA) v Gianluca Mager (ITA) No. 21 Alex de Minaur (AUS) v Marco Cecchinato (ITA) No. 24 Aslan Karatsev (RUS) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) No. 28 Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) v (Q) Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) On court today… • In the first of 2 intriguing men’s 2nd round matches on Court Philippe-Chatrier today, Roger Federer and Marin Cilic, 2 of the 4 Grand Slam champions remaining in the men’s draw, contest their 11th Tour-level match. Federer has won 9 of the pair’s previous 10 meetings, including in the finals at 2017 Wimbledon and the 2018 Australian Open. Cilic’s only victory against Federer came in the semifinals at the 2014 US Open. The duo become the 44th pair of players in the Open Era to contest a match at all 4 Grand Slam tournaments – Cilic is the 10th different opponent that Federer has played at each of the 4 majors, while Federer is the first opponent that Cilic has faced at each of the 4 Grand Slam events. • The night session on Chatrier sees Rafael Nadal take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet. The rivalry between the 2 players covers more than 2 decades, with the pair having first met as 12-year-olds in the semifinals at Les Petits As, a tournament for players aged 12-14, in 1999. Gasquet won on that occasion, but he has never been able to overcome Nadal in the 16 Tour-level matches the pair have contested. Should Nadal record a 17th victory over Gasquet today, it will be the 6th rivalry in the Open Era in which a player has won 17 matches without defeat. • Six Italian players are in action here today, including one all-Italian match-up between Jannik Sinner and Gianluca Mager, which is the 2nd match on Court Simonne-Mathieu. In total, 7 Italian men reached the 2nd round here, the highest number of Italians through to the 2nd round of the men’s singles at a Grand Slam since 1955 Roland Garros. All of them will hope to join Fabio Fognini in the 3rd round here – the Open Era record for most Italian men in the 3rd round at a Grand Slam was set at Roland Garros last year, when 5 Italians reached the last 32. • On Monday, Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest player to win a match at Roland Garros since Novak Djokovic in 2005 – and the 18-year-old Spaniard bids for more history when he plays No. 28 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili in the 4th match on Court 14 today. Should he win today, Alcaraz will become the youngest man to reach the 3rd round at Roland Garros since Andrei Medvedev in 1992 and the youngest man to reach the 3rd round at a Grand Slam since Nadal at the 2004 Australian Open. Alcaraz is one of 3 teenagers, alongside Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti, who are aiming to reach the 3rd round here today.