Comeback king Benoit Paire stuns Gael Monfils in Paris Masters

Frenchman Benoit Paire staged a sensational comeback to beat his higher-ranked compatriot Gael Monfils in the first round of the Paris Masters tournament on Monday night. Down 2-6, 0-4, the world No 23 defied the odds to beat Monfils 2-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4 in front of a cheering crowd.

Gael Monfils (file picture) was unable to convert a 6-2, 4-0 lead into a win against compatriot Benoit Faire. Reuters

A former finalist at Paris Masters, Monfils, who is ranked 20th in the world, said he didn’t play well and that 2015 was his worst Grand Slam year.

Speaking about his remarkable recovery, Paire said that after being down a set and trailing 0-4 in the second, the only thought in his mind was not to break the racket and get booed by the crowd.

“I started to get back little by little. He [Monfils] made some mistakes. I was able to play a couple of good games. I became better. I was more aggressive,” said Paire.

Meanwhile World No 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic will face Brazilian Thomas Belluci in the second round after earning a first round bye.

Belluci defeated Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-4 in the first round on Monday.

Roger Federer will face Italian Andreas Seppi in the second round after Seppi got the better of Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 7-5, 6-3.

Dominic Thiem and Bernard Tomic also advanced to the second round after the former beat Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.

Tomic will now meet 2015 French Open winner Stan Wawrinka in the second round after beating Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-2.