An out of sorts Benoit Paire crashed out of the Los Angeles Open Thursday as the top seed’s eccentric game culminated in a 7-5, 6-4 opening loss to American Michael Russell.
Paire, ranked 50th in the world, committed 38 unforced errors while losing his serve five times in the first set. The Frenchman also failed to sit down on several changeovers, often holding his right abdomen. Other times he applied ice to the area and he fired eight double-faults – three in one game – to keep the contest off-balance throughout. French fourth seed Nicolas Mahut was more stable, booking his second quarter-final of the season by beating Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi 7-5, 7-6 (9/7).
“I knew it would be a difficult match,” said 30-year-old Mahut. “I just beat him in the Wimbledon first round. Breaking in the first set to win was the key. After that I got more confident. I am happy to go through.” Mahut saved two set points in the second set before closing it out on a Lorenzi volley error. Russell, ranked 83rd, said that he faced a mental and physical battle against the unpredictable Paire.
“It was extremely difficult, You never know what to expect from him. He keeps you out of your rhythm. “I had to dig deep to get through it. He’s flashy and sometimes looks like he’s not trying. Mentally it’s difficult, but I’m proud of myself for winning. I couldn’t ask for a better start, I love playing on the hard courts.”
