Benoit Paire ousts Benjamin Balleret in the final qualifier of Open de Nice Côte d’Azur
World number 105 Benoit Paire of France rallied past world number 568 Benjamin Balleret of Monaco in three sets 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-0 in the final round of qualifying draw at the Open de Nice Côte d’Azur in Nice on Sunday. Paire took
two hours and six minutes to undo his opponent in a marathon encounter.
Paire and Balleret exchanged a single break of serve in the first 12 games of the opening set, levelling the score at 6-6 and forcing a tie-break. The French thrashed Balleret in the tie-break as he dropped just two points to win
it 7-2.
Paire delivered four aces and 52 percent of the first serves in the opening set, bagging 68 percent of the points on them. On the other hand, Balleret kept his first serve percentage at 70 percent and won 61 percent of the points
on them in the first set. The Monacan converted one of the five break points on Paire’s serve but failed to save the only break point on his own serve in the opening set.
The Monacan fought back in the second set and took the early lead as he broke Paire in the third game, holding his next service game to go ahead 3-1. However, the French broke back in the eighth game and levelled the score at 4-4.
Balleret broke again in the 11th game and this time he did not allow Paire to stage a comeback, serving out the set at 6-5.
The 28-year-old hit three aces and 70 percent of the first serves in the second set. The Monacan claimed 68 percent of the first service points in the second set. In comparison, Paire failed miserably with his serve, committing
a couple of double faults and hitting just 50 percent of the first serves correctly. The French capitalized on the only break point opportunity he created in the second set. Whereas, Balleret won two of the five break points he received in the second set.
After winning a tight second set, Balleret looked exhausted and could not maintain his form in the final set. The Monacan committed a number of unforced errors and failed to win points on long rallies. The right-handed failed to
clinch a single game in the third set, losing a bagel set 0-6.
Paire fired three aces but had a low first serve percentage, delivering a mere 42 percent of the first serves in the deciding set. Balleret managed to hit 58 percent of the first serves but succeeded in capturing just 36 percent
of the points on them. The Monacan lost three of the nine break points he faced in the final set.
Paire is slated to face Romanian Victor Hanescu, ranked 69th in the world, in the first round of the main draw.
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