Montpellier Open: Paire recovers to beat Murray and make second round

Frenchman Benoit Paire advanced to the second round of the Montpellier Open by beating No 5 seed Andy Murray 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 at the Sud de France Arena.

Murray once again led by a set, dominating the Frenchman with in a strong showing in the opener to nudge into a one-set lead.

The ever-mercurial Paire found his range and rhythm in a closely fought second, however, gaining parity by clinching a tight tiebreak to win the set and earn his first win at ATP level since 2022.

The mental toll of being taken the distance yet again having gained an early lead seemed to weigh on Murray, as Paire’s impressive form continued into the third, seeing him over the line in a comeback win on home soil.

Paire, ranked No 112, will play the winner of the match between wildcard Harold Mayot and wildcard Lucas Pouille next.

Montpellier ATP 250, other first-round results (Sud de France Arena, hard, EUR 579.320, most recent results first):

• Alexander Shevchenko vs. Dalibor Svrcina
• Flavio Cobolli vs. Gael Monfils
• Bernabe Zapata Miralles vs. Constant Lestienne
• Pablo Llamas Ruiz vs. Richard Gasquet
• Maximilian Marterer vs. Arthur Cazaux
• Hugo Gaston vs. Denis Shapovalov
• Harold Mayot vs. Lucas Pouille
• Ugo Blanchet vs. Gregoire Barrere
• Antoine Escoffier vs. Alexandre Muller
• Jaume Munar vs. Pedro Martinez
• Michael Mmoh beat Benjamin Bonzi: 6-3, 7-5