Richard Gasquet is not a name that many had heard before this week.

But after watching him beat Franco Squillari in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters, it is clearly a name we are going to become a lot more familiar with in the coming years.

For Gasquet is just 15 years old and the youngest player to appear in the main draw of a Masters Series event.

His achievement is nothing special when it comes to women's tennis (Tracey Austin won her first tour title having just turned 14), but in the men's game he is a relative novice.

No-one could have expected what was to come when he walked onto court with his head bowed, bashfully looking up at his opponent.

Spectators could have been forgiven for thinking that he was just carrying the kit bags for a player who was about to follow him out.

It was hard to imagine someone looking more out of place in the glamorous surroundings of Monte Carlo.

But Gasquet soon showed just how he had beaten Nikola Davydenko and Adrian Voinea, both top 100 players, in qualifying by confidently winning his opening service game.

And he continued to gobble up his chances with a total absence of nerves and an amazing range of shots.

Forehands, backhands and drop shots were all despatched with the authority of a veteran - there was no part of his game you could fault.

As the ball boys scampered after his winning shots it was hard to believe that some of them were probably older than him.

Prize money

There were countless points in the match when you thought Squillari had taken the upper hand, not least when he hit back to take the second set, or when he was a break up in the third.

But Gasquet would not be beaten, and held his nerve to come through 7-6 3-6 7-5.

What made his performance even more remarkable was the quality of his opponent.

Squillari has won three tour titles and was once a semi-finalist at the French Open.

He has also amassed over $2m (£1.4m) in prize money compared to Gasquet's $290 (£200).

That will all change here, of course.

Just by getting to the second round he is guaranteed $15,000 (£10,400) - not bad pocket money for a 15-year-old.

"It makes no sense. I didn't even think I could win one match, let alone three," said Gasquet afterwards.

Let us hope he enjoys it while it lasts - he is likely to face the stern test of Marat Safin in the next round.