France’s Benoit Paire has made a winning start to his 2017 grass-court campaign with a 6-4, 6-4, win over former finalist Viktor Troicki at the Stuttgart Open.
In what was the first ever tour meeting between the two players, Paire held his nerve against the Serbian after losing a commanding lead in the second set. The Frenchman was leading 6-4, 4-1, before Troicki battled back to level 4-4. Troicki’s resurgence failed to stop his opponent’s triumph. Serving to stay in the match, a backhand error moved Paire to his first match point. The win was then sealed with a winning double-handed backhand cross court shot from the 28-year-old.
On a surface he has historically struggled on, Paire produced a total of six aces and won 80% of his first service points to seal his 22nd main draw win of the year.
“It is every time (always) strange on a grass court.” Paire said during his on-court interview. “It’s not my best surface, but I try to do my best. It is not easy to adjust from the clay. It is my first match on grass and I’m very happy to win.”
Paire’s hate of the grass has been well documented in recent years. In 2014 he made headlines after being heard saying ‘he hates Wimbledon.‘ A perspective that he still has this year.
“My views haven’t changed. I don’t like the tournament that much. That’s life. Sometimes you like some tournament, sometimes you don’t. For me, I don’t like grass. I love clay, so I like Roland Garros,” he told The Asian Age in January.
In the second round he will play German qualifier Peter Gojowczyk, who recovered from a set down to defeat his higher ranked opponent Nikoloz Basilashvili 2-6, 6-3, 6-1. The win is only his third main draw victory on the ATP Tour this season. This year Gojowczyk is bidding to play in the main draw at Wimbledon for the first time in his career.
Should Paire win his second round match, it will be the first time that the world No.49 has won back-to-back matches in a grass court tournament since the 2013 Wimbledon Championships.
