One chance goes begging before Gerasimov returns long.

Nadal 2-0 Gerasimov.

Nadal gets all snatchy with a souped-up attempted angled backhand.

15s each.

Gerasimov then makes a couple of errors to bring up two set points for his opponent.

Nadal gets all snatchy with a souped-up attempted angled backhand.

15s each.

Gerasimov then makes a couple of errors to bring up set point for his opponent.

David Law
BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra tennis commentator

It is probably pretty much what I'd have expected from Nadal and this match. Maybe Gerasimov has handled himself better than I thought. It is a very respectable scoreline. Nadal has had to work and it is a good work out.

Brilliant wrong-footing from Gerasimov with a low double-handed backhand.

He then reaches the stratosphere - which doesn't take that much effort - to deliver an overhead backhand winner.

The Belarusian, without an ATP title to his name, holds.

"Pressure" back on Rafa.

Miles Maclagan
Former British Davis Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Nadal just works the angles, the geometry of the court, so well.

A kicking second serve results in Gerasimov firing his return wide into the Chatrier yonder.

Hold again.

If you're listening to the radio commentary of this match via this page, you'll need to click on French Open - Part 2 at the top of the page to continue listening from 17:45 BST.

He finds those spots with his forehand with remarkable precision, does our Rafa.

He pulls two out of the hat to leave Gerasimov stuck-in-the-mud.

30-0.

It was a fighting performance but Britain's Liam Broady's has been beaten in his first appearance in the Roland Garros main draw.

That leaves just Cameron Norrie as the sole Briton left in the men's singles draw.

And he's up next on court 10 against Daniel Elahi Galan. No pressure, Cam.

He racquet is then overwhelmed by more Nadal fury.

40-30 before Nadal goes long.

Time to strike Egor?

Gerasimov once more produces a lovely touch at the net which has Nadal scampering towards a ball with 'Lost Cause' written on it.

Nadal produces a furious angled double-hander which just drifts out. If legal, that shot would have been in the running for 'most furious shot of the match'.

The 12-time champion holds then goes to his bag to change his racquet. No doubt in order to produce more fury.

It's starting to look a bit bleak for Liam Broady, who is now trailing by a break in the fourth set against Jiri Vesely.

His service games are taking a while, while the Czech is powering through his own. The Briton really needs to hold his next service game.

Another good approach to the net by Gerasimov is followed by a patted winner.

One more huge serve and it's game.

Here's another fact about Egor from the ATP site:

Enjoys spending time with friends.

Gerasimov does have that weapon of a serve in his kit bag - two aces and it's 30-15.

Gerasimov plays the strangest return of the match - a winner for the taking, ends up being a forehand that pretty much loops over the head of Nadal. Might have exaggerated that description.

The Spaniard holds to love with one of his chicken dippers of a forehand.

Miles Maclagan
Former British Davis Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

That was a tired last error from Gerasimov, that goes down to the work he put in earlier.

The mountain is getting ever steeper for him.

Broken.

Miles Maclagan
Former British Davis Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

You can see Gerasimov breathing hard. He is being made to work extremely hard to stay in these points. From a distance it looks comfortable - it's not.