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Benoit Paire has reacted to his bizarre loss against Alexei Popyrin in the Monte-Carlo Masters qualifiers.
After claiming the first set, Paire cruised to a 5-1 lead in the second and looked all set to wrap up the match. However, Popyrin clawed his way back by winning five straight games, eventually winning the set in a tie-break.
The Aussie exploited the shift in momentum to take the third set and complete a stunning comeback win, 2-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
Taking to social media soon after, Popyrin reflected on his "dirty comeback" and hailed the atmosphere at the Monte Carlo Country Club.
"Dirty comeback! Appreciate the crowd even if it was against me, what an ATMOSPHERE! Bring on main draw," he wrote on Instagram.
Despite his frustration, Paire was appreciative of Poyprin in the comments section, to which the Australian reacted with a heart emoji.
Popyrin has since beaten Dusan Lajovic 7-6(1), 6-3 in the first round of the Monte-Carlo Masters and will face Nicolas Jarry in the second. It will be their first meeting on tour.
Jarry put up an impressive performance in the first round as well, ousting 15th seed Borna Coric 6-2, 6-3.
Benoit Paire thankful for invitation to play in Monte Carlo despite harsh comments in the past
Benoit Paire recently expressed gratitude towards the Monte-Carlo Masters' organizers for inviting him to the tournament despite his harsh remarks from a few years ago.
Speaking to RMC Sport, Paire admitted that his comparison of Monte Carlo's clay courts to cemeteries was "not too nice."
"During the COVID edition, I said things... not too nice. I said that the track was a cemetery, for example, but I wanted to add that it was the most beautiful tournament in the world," Benoit Paire said.
The Frenchman revealed how he decided to send a proposal to the organizers and received a positive response.
"Together with my agent, despite this, we decided to send a proposal and your response touched me very much. Your message was a very nice gift and I am very grateful," he said.
