Frenchman Benoit Paire pleased the home crowd by rallying past No. 5 seed Andy Murray of Great Britain 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the first round of the Open Sud de France on Monday in Montpellier.
Paire absorbed 13 aces by Murray and won 49 of 63 first-service points (77.8 percent) while saving four of eight break points. Paire delivered eight aces.
Also, Pedro Martinez recorded a 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over Jaume Munar in a battle of Spaniards. Martinez converted four of seven break-point opportunities and will face fourth-seeded Borna Coric of Croatia in the second round.
In another main-draw match, Michael Mmoh defeated France’s Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 7-5. Mmoh fired 10 aces and saved both break points he faced while breaking Bonzi’s serve twice in three opportunities.
–Field Level Media
