Andrey Rublev says he's "not looking too far ahead" as he targets first Roland-Garros quarter-final

Russian maintains unbeaten record against Laslo Djere for 16th win of 2023

Arriving in Paris without a grass-court warm-up event for the first time since 2017, the Russian needed some time to find his range against the Serb but broke early to set the tone for a dominant display

Andrey Rublev has a knack for doing it tough at the first hurdle in Paris. A year ago, he needed five sets to get past qualifier Bernabe Zapata Miralles. Two years ago, he was pushed the distance by Jan-Lennard Struff.

But the seventh seed showed little sign of nerves on Monday when he moved past Laslo Djere 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the second round of Roland-Garros for the sixth time.

Djere, ranked 56th, was making his sixth Grand Slam main draw appearance, but he has never made it beyond the first round at the majors. He did reach the third round here back in 2018 by way of qualifying, but the Serbian has struggled to make his mark at the highest level.

Rublev, on the other hand, is a top 10 player and one of the most consistent performers on the ATP Tour. He has won four titles already this year and has reached the quarter-finals or better at all three of the other slams.

The Russian is yet to make it past the fourth round here at Roland-Garros, but he will be confident of going deep in the draw this year. He has a favourable draw and he is in good form.

Rublev will next play qualifier Pedro Cachin, who upset 29th seed Sebastian Korda in the first round.

"I'm not looking too far ahead," said Rublev. "I'm just taking it one match at a time. I know that Cachin is a tough opponent, so I'm going to need to be at my best to beat him."

Rublev is one of the favourites to win the title this year, and he will be hoping to make a deep run in the draw. He has the game and the experience to do it, and he will be confident of making a strong challenge.