Tennis: Teenager Nadal Celebrates His 20th

It was the most keenly awaited contest of the opening week of the French Open in a city that has been experiencing the shock of the new since the Eiffel Tower transformed the skyline in the late 19th century. One day this match-up might be on the final Sunday; this time it was in the third round and Spain's Rafael Nadal beat Richard Gasquet of France 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in the "Battle of the Teenagers".

They had met earlier this year in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters, a day after Gasquet had won the biggest match of his 18-year-old life against the world No1 Roger Federer. On that occasion Nadal, who will be 19 next week, triumphed 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 and went on to win his first major title.

Gasquet thought he might have beaten him had he been a little less tired. Yesterday Nadal, who came into Roland Garros with a 17-match undefeated run on clay, which also encompassed the Italian Open title, was both a little too strong and a little too savvy. The young Spaniard is a big-match player through and through with a finely tuned tactical brain. Although Gasquet was never outplayed he was continually frustrated at being unable to capitalise on the few openings he managed to eke out.

Perhaps Nadal learned a fraction more from the match in Monte Carlo than Gasquet. He moved the Frenchman around to greater effect and gave him rather less pace from which to drive winners with his sumptuous backhand. And the timing of Gasquet's most formidable weapon was also often awry, which may have been down to nerves.

Gasquet has broken through into the top 50 this year while Nadal has soared to No 5. The French youngster was singled out as a future champion before he was out of short trousers but has not found the transition from being a junior prodigy an easy one. Only this year has he begun to mature.

Nadal first made his mark two years ago when, in the Monte Carlo Masters, he defeated the then reigning French Open champion Albert Costa, also of Spain. But he twice missed coming to Roland Garros because of injury, in 2003 and again last year, thereby imbuing his first appearance with even greater anticipatory excitement.

He has not disappointed anyone and this victory, in tricky circumstances given that the 14,000 crowd in the Philippe Chatrier Stadium were obviously on Gasquet's side, further emphasised this young man's huge potential, and not only on clay. There was sharp difference in style, with Nadal a perpetual bundle of highly charged energy contrasting with Gasquet's more languid approach, even though by the end the latter was difficult to differentiate from sheer tiredness in face of the Spaniard's unbending will.

Federer, the world No 1, who could meet Nadal in the semi-finals, was also a rather more comfortable winner in his third-round match against Fernando Gonzalez than some had expected. The burly Peruvian hits the ball so hard that he is a threat to the most sophisticated of players but once Federer had won the first-set tie-break he switched to cruise control.

This is not to say that Federer is at complete ease on clay. However, he has the class to win here and thereby become only the sixth player to win all four grand slam titles. "I'm the No 1. Why should I fear any one?" he said, daring anybody to contradict him.

Nadal next plays another Frenchman tomorrow - the experienced Sébastien Grosjean - for a place in the quarter-finals while Federer is up against the 1998 champion, Carlos Moya of Spain.

"It will be interesting. He's a great champion and obviously it is going to be tough," said Federer. Again nobody disagreed.