Gasquet and Moutet beaten in Rome qualifiers, Muller applies for Nadal

Richard Gasquet and Corentin Moutet were beaten in the second round of the qualifications for the Rome Masters 1000 this Tuesday. They were respectively dominated by Maximilian Marterer (6-3, 6-4) and by Thiago Monteiro (6-3, 6-4). Therefore, the two French players will not see the final draw, unless they are selected as Lucky Losers in case of withdrawal by one of the 96 contenders.

On the other hand, Alexandre Muller brilliantly secured his ticket by defeating Moldovan Radu Albot (7-5, 6-2). He thus follows in the footsteps of Grégoire Barrère and Terence Atmane who also qualified earlier in the day. All three are among the 12 contenders for a match against Nadal in the first round, which increases the probabilities to 1 in 4 of a French player challenging the Spaniard from the start on the Roman clay court.