World Number 121 Michael Berrer pulled off a major upset at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier when he beat World Number 38 Borna Coric 7-6 (7-5) 6-2. Coric broke serve in the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead but Berrer broke back to draw level to 4-4. The first set came down to the tie-break. Coric opened up a 4-2 lead in the breaker but Berrer fought back to take the first set 7-5. Berrer, who beat Rafa Nadal in Doha in 2015, broke this year’s Chennai finalist Coric in the first and in the fifth games to take the second set 6-2.
Ruben Bemelmans produced another big surprise when he beat Joao Sousa 6-4 3-6 6-4 in their first head-to-head match. Bemelmans, who is ranked 74 positions below Sousa, fought back from 0-40 down to hold his serve in the second game of the opening set before breaking serve in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Sousa broke back but Bemelmans got another break and never looked back to clinch the first set 6-4.
Sousa never faced a break point and broke serve once to take the second set 6-3. Bemelmans broke serve in the fourth game to take a 3-1 lead in the third set but Sousa broke back at 5-3. Bemelmans broke in the ninth game to clinch the third set.
Ernests Gulbis beat Quentin Halys 6-4 6-3 setting up a secon round match against defending champion Richard Gasquet.
Kenny De Schepper fought back from a set down to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 4-6 7-6 6-3. Paul Henry Mathieu defeated 19-year-old qualifier Elias Ymer 6-1 6-4. Mathieu, who fended off the seven break points he faced, will face his compatriot Benoit Paire.
Dustin Brown saved 10 of the 11 break point chances he faced to beat Steve Darcis 7-5 7-5.
John Millman cruised to 6-3 6-0 over Julien Benneteau. Jan Lennard Struff beat Nicolas Mahut 6-3 7-5.
