Gael Monfils out of Paris Masters

Gael Monfils was sent packing in the first round of the Paris Masters on Monday when he slumped to a 6-2, 6-7 (7), 4-6 defeat by fellow Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Monfils, the world no. 20, seemed to be cruising towards a straightforward victory in the renovated Bercy Hall after opening up a 6-2, 4-0 lead. But then he lost focus.

Paire forced a tiebreak, which he won 9-7, and broke decisively in the ninth game of the third set, finishing it off on his first match point with an ace.

Next in line for Paire is another Frenchman, Gilles Simon.Young talents Bernard Tomic of Australia and Dominic Thiem of Austria both advanced to the second round, where they will meet fourth seed Stan Wawrinka and 11th seed Kevin Anderson respectively.

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic will open his title defence on Tuesday in a second-round match against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.

The 22-year-old Thiem, the youngest player in the Top 25, progressed with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Frenchman Adrien Mannarino before Tomic ousted Fabio Fognini 6-3, 6-2.

Opening play on center court, Thiem saved five of the six break points he faced to set up a second-round match with 11th-seeded Kevin Anderson at the indoor hard-court tournament. The 19th-ranked Thiem has won his first three titles this season, all on clay.

The revamped arena in south-east Paris, which features newly designed court lighting, a renovated players’ lounge and updated facilities for sponsors, did not bring luck to French players.

“I used to love that stadium, how it was before, and right now I’m not convinced,” Mannarino said to reporters after his loss against Thiem.