Richard progressed through round one with a very comfortable win over American Phillip Simmonds 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.

It was a very smooth peformance by Richard. He continued his good form of the summer and made life difficult for Simmonds with winners off both wings and solid serving. Richard painted the lines and kept Simmonds guessing by mixing up his groundstrokes and drop shots.

Afterwards, clearly delighted with the manner of his victory he spent plenty of time signing autographs and having photos with fans.

In the second round, Richard will face fellow Frenchman, Gilles Simon.