Sinner defeated local wild card Richard Gasquet in straight sets in Wednesday’s night session to keep his ambitions of ascending to the World No. 1 ranking alive. He is also in contention to win his second Grand Slam.

The Italian will need to reach the final to establish a new career-high ranking or hope that Novak Djokovic fails to reach the final next Sunday to displace the Serbian from the top spot.

But Sinner was forced to fight hard for victory by the French veteran, and fear set in when he looked in discomfort in the first few games of the third set.

It is uncertain if this would be a return of the hip ailment he sustained at the Madrid Open in late April, which put him out of action for three weeks and almost compromised his participation at the clay-court Grand Slam.

The 22-year-old did not specifically address the issue after beating Gasquet, but he walked gingerly between points from clear physical pain in his body. Gasquet sensed this and even broke Sinner’s serve to level the third set at 2-all.

The second seed initially indicated that his hip was not 100% after beating Christopher Eubanks in his opening encounter. Sinner’s physicians urged him against competing at Roland Garros, considering the risk posed by the severe nature of his injuries.

But he was satisfied by his performance and overcoming the short-lived agony he had in the third set to beat an inspired Gasquet in front of a partisan crowd.

“For sure better (his level) than the first match. We aim to keep practising and improve day by day. I know I can improve a number of things. I’m looking forward to it. It’s a very significant tournament for me so maybe I can show some nice tennis.

Sinner during his on-court interview