Benoit Paire will continue his Paris campaign on Tuesday against another Frenchman–Gilles Simon–after staging a hard-to-believe comeback against Gael Monfils. Meanwhile, first-round action is continuing with Fernando Verdasco vs. Borna Coric.
Benoit Paire vs. (14) Gilles Simon
How Paire is still alive at the BNP Paribas Masters in order to be part of Tuesday’s second-round schedule is hard to fathom. The 23rd-ranked Frenchman trailed compatriot Gael Monfils 6-2, 4-0 in his opening match and looking thoroughly disinterested–to the extent that he was hearing boos from the French crow. But that is when it suddenly turned around for Paire, who stormed back for an improbable 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 victory. Thus continues an impressive late-season surge for the 26-year-old, who reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open and the Tokyo final.
Next up for Paire is a seventh career meeting with Simon. The head-to-head series stands at an even 3-3, with Paire holding a 3-1 edge on hard courts–including 2-0 indoors. Paire’s indoor wins came four years ago in Rotterdam and at the 2013 Montpellier event. The two Frenchmen most recently faced each other this spring on the clay courts of Monte-Carlo, where Simon got the job done 6-4, 7-5. Simon is a solid 42-23 for his 2015 campaign and looking to finish the season in the top 15 (he is right on the number at 15th right now). Paire has always given the No. 14 seed trouble, but he cannot afford the same slow-starting shenanigans that Monfils let him get away with on Monday. After all, Simon–much unlike both Monfils and Paire–is the essence of no-nonsense. In the end, the favorite will likely be too consistent and too level-headed.
Pick: Simon in 3
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Fernando Verdasco vs. Borna Coric
Coric and Verdasco will be going head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Tuesday. Separated by one spot in the rankings (Coric is 46th, Verdasco 47th), both players could really use a strong result to finish off the year. Coric owns a respectable 25 match victories at the ATP level, but only one of those have come in tournament action since the start of the U.S. Open. The 18-year-old is riding a three-match losing streak that consists of straight-set loss to Marin Cilic, Evgeny Donskoy, and Kevin Anderson.
Not much better in the late summer and fall, Verdasco is a horrendous 4-11 in his last 15 matches dating back to Wimbledon. The Spaniard has not reeled off back-to-back victories at any tournament since reaching the last 32 at the All-England Club. He is coming off a first-round loss in Valencia to countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.  Although Verdasco boasts superior firepower, a young counter-puncher like Coric who will get a ton of balls back is exactly the kind of player who will give the former world No. 7 fits.
Pick:Â Coric in 3
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Reblogged this on Tennis Abides.
I like Simon in 2 and Coric in 2.
Paire in 2 and coric in 3
Fed in 3
probably
How does Fed come into this?
Coz I brought it into this. Like a BOSS
haha
Karlovic is setting a new record for tiebreak losses.
unbelievable
what is the actual record for final-set tiebreaker losses in a row?
Robin haase lost 17 tiebreaks in a row but I don’t know record for most third set breakers.
can’t imagine it’s more than 10. Isner lost a ton last year.
10
Serving to stay in the set Verdasco was up 40-0 and still got broken, Coric takes the set 6-4.
Verdasco is a mental minion.
If paire plays for real on this hard court he got it on lock but I herd his head is not right. I see Simon as a better clay courter.
Paire is a total fruit cake but can be fun to watch when he chooses to concentrate. Without checking the stats my gut reaction is he’s had more success on hardcourts, particularly indoors. I could be wrong.
Paire is a mental minion.
Shocking tennis from Verdasco lost serve to love while serving to stay in the match, he was up 4-2 in 2nd set and lost last 4 games in a row.
how is that shocking
Typical Fernando.
My No.1 favourite French player outlasts the volatile Paire in three sets
Can there ever have been a player who swings between inspired shots and bizarre errors with such insouciance the way Paire does?
I am not a fan of Simon, Gasquet, Chardy, Paire, but I like to watch them. They make me smile. 🙂
Monfils is my favourite French player.
Rafa is my favorite of course but I also love watching Monfils, really the most entertaining player though Paire might be close.