By Alberto Amalfi | Saturday, April 13, 2019
Down a break in the decider, Benoit Paire reeled off five straight games topping Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the first time, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, to set up a Marrakech final vs. defending-champ Pablo Andujar.
Photo credit: Skistar Swedish Open/Fredric Berggren
Losing a staring contest with the sun prompted Benoit Paire to take a medical time-out in the first set.
An enlightened Paire shined in a brilliant close to stop Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the first time.
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Timely backhand strikes sparked Paire through five consecutive games to close a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 semifinal conquest of Tsonga in Marrakech.
Paire converted his fifth match point to close in two hours charging into his first ATP final since the 2017 Metz.
The 33-year-old Tsonga held in all 28 service games entering this semifinal, but Paire converted five of 10 break-point chances, including three straight breaks to finish.
It was Tsonga’s first career loss at the Grand Prix Hassan II.
The French wild card broke for a 3-1 lead in the decider, but lost the range on his forehand and saw a streaking Paire fire winners with self-assured calm. Chair umpire Mo Lahyani was called out onto court a couple of times in the final two games to inspect ball marks.
The victory was Paire’s first in four meetings with his compatriot sending the 69th-ranked Frenchman into tomorrow’s final vs. defending champion Pablo Andujar.
Three-time champion Andujar demolished Gilles Simon, 6-1, 6-1, in 74 minutes.
Paire has won all three meetings with Andujar, but the pair haven't squared off in six years.
Drama and shotmaking spiked in the seventh game of the second semifinal.
Tsonga launched a lovely one-handed backhand lob to set up a soaring smash, drove a forehand down the line that left Paire waving his racquet in vain and shaking his head in frustration.
Still the man with the upturned collar tested Tsonga through a tough deuce challenge before he held for 5-2.
That stand put a spring in Tsonga’s step.
Sprinting right, Tsonga was so far off court he could have stopped to sniff the court-side flowers when he flicked a clever crosscourt lob that befuddled a scrambling Paire for set point.
Tsonga closed the 33-minute opening set.
Shrugging it off, Paire followed a backhand to net and showed rapid reflexes rapping a backhand winner off a tricky net-cord shot. Paire’s first break of the match, which was the first time Tsonga dropped serve all week, gave him a 2-1 second-set lead.
Playing with a more relaxed urgency, Paire began using his spins to create sharp angles and move Tsonga. When Tsonga looped an errant forehand, Paire pumped his fist busting out his second break for 5-2.
Tsonga answered with a two-game run, but Paire pulled off a surprise serve-and-volley, ladling a sweet forehand drop volley, to serve out the second set.
The 2008 Australian Open finalist dug out of a love-30 hole holding to start the final set.
Much of this match was about executing disparate directions: Tsonga tried breaking down Paire’s unruly forehand, while Paire targeted his opponent’s uneven backhand side. Both succeeded in spurts trading breaks in the fourth and fifth games.
Paire went on a tear to take charge. Tsonga saved four match points before double-faulting to face a fifth. A shanked wild forehand ended it.
Striking with menacing intent from the start, three-time champion Andujar broke to open racing out to a 4-0 lead before Simon finally got on the scoreboard.
Spreading the court with a series of topspin forehands, Andujar whipped a forehand down the line drawing a running error for his third break to seal the opening set, 6-1.
Typically, Simon plays precise tennis, but the opening set was a scatter-shot performance from the slender Frenchman.
Andujar forced the fourth seed to frequently play off his back foot and often dictated play with his forehand.
The 33-year-old Andujar raised his record in Marrakech to 18-2 as he plays for his fourth title, while Paire carries a 1-4 record in ATP finals into the title match.