MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Mavericks' right-handed maestro Richard Gasquet breezed past his Argentine foe Leonardo Mayer to punch a ticket to Paribas Masters' third round.
Gasquet manhandled Mayer in two easy sets, 6-2, 7-5.
Meanwhile, the Frenchman's teammate Borna Coric got a taste of high-profile tennis action after locking horns with tournament second seed Andy Murray.
Coric, an up-and-coming Croatian netter who shot to fame after upsetting the Brit in 2013, fell 1-6, 2-6, bowing out of contention.
The Japan Warriors' Kei Nishikori, for his part, is also advancing to the next phase of action after mounting a valiant stand to fend off Jeremy Chardy of France.
Former US Open king and UAE Royals netter Marin Cilic got the boot at the hands of Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.