Image courtesy of mostamazingplayers.blogspot.com

Richard Gasquet of France is certainly an interesting character. And he’s a strong tennis player. On Thursday he defeated the sixth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko in three sets with 6-3, 6-4 and 6-2, causing a major upset by advancing into the third round.

The 2010 U.S. Open seems to turn into a crusade of the French tennis stars. Before Gasquet even played his first ball on Thursday, he helped to make history – 12 Frenchmen advanced into the second round of the Open.

Gasquet recently drew a lot of unintended attention to himself when he was tested positive for cocaine. He successfully appealed the charge and convinced the court that the substance had entered his system when he kissed a woman in a night club.

If the French player can hold his current form, he can make it back into the top-ten. This year he won the title in Nice which was his first since 2007.

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2. Caroline Wozniacki breezes through 2010 U.S. Open second round
3. Rafael Nadal number 1 seed for 2010 U.S. Open
4. Kim Clijsters takes first hurdle at 2010 U.S. Open
5. Venus Williams ready for 2010 U.S. Open