Richard Gasquet brushed aside Taro Daniel in straight sets and Gilles Simon routed Yoshihito Nishioka to give France a 2-0 lead over Japan in their Davis Cup World Group first-round tie on Friday.
Gasquet, the world No. 18, was in total control from start to finish in the day's singles opener on the indoor hard court at Ariake Colosseum, cruising to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 win over his 114th-ranked opponent.
"I think I played well," said Gasquet, who fired off 23 winners to Daniel's four. "Taro is a solid player and that is why he is close to the top 100 and was No. 85 last year.