Buenos Aires (AFP)
Benoît Paire was beaten as soon as he entered the tournament in Buenos Aires by Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, a match in which he got angry again, going up to 'to spit on the court.
While he had pocketed the first set, the French, seeded N.3 in the tournament, again fell victim to his nerves in the second round of this round of 16.
Led 2-0 by the 137th world, Paire contested a ball announced good on the service of his opponent, bringing in the referee, who did not want to budge.
The Avignon player then spat on the court, where the ball fell, under the referee's nose.
Which earned him a warning for "unsportsmanlike behavior".
Shortly after, after another challenge, Paire was penalized by losing a point.
He then requested the presence of the tournament supervisor, Jorge Mandl, who sought to calm him down.
In vain.
The French then chained the unforced errors.
In the third and final set, Pair, led 5-1, threw his serve balls without really trying to play them, ending the game with two gross fouls, especially on match point, where he played his second serve then. even a ball collector was still inside the field.
Francisco Cerundolo, older brother of Juan Manuel Cerundolo (181st world), winner last week in Cordoba, will play the quarter-finals against Pablo Andujar, seeded N.6, who beat the Italian Gianluca Mager 6-4, 7 -6 (7/5) in the first game of the day.
© 2021 AFP