Tennis / Miami: Pair does not rekindle the flame, Humbert and Mannarino maintain it

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The French Ugo Humbert, throughout his match in opposition to the Spaniard Roberto Agut, on February 26, 2021 at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier. Photo: AFP / VNA / CVN

Seeded N.20, Humbert was strong to do away with Joao Sousa 6-1, 6-4, a Portuguese he confronted for the first time.

The 30^e world received off to a powerful begin. Very efficient in the first ball (4 aces, 92% of factors gained at 1^er set), he managed to interrupt Sousa twice in three makes an attempt to interrupt away.

The second spherical was barely extra hooked. But Humbert, who needed to erase two break factors in opposition to him, managed to take the opposing service, at the greatest time, to steer 5-4, earlier than ending in 1:13.

Le Messin, who stays on a semi-final in Marseille, will face the massive Canadian server Milos Raonic (N.12) in the subsequent spherical.

Mannarino, seeded N.25, dismissed the Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, whom he had already overwhelmed thrice in as many confrontations. The fourth ended like the others, in two dry units, 6-3, 6-4.

French, 36^e world, good at the service (7 aces), extra exact, and various his blows in the exchanges, took twice the opposing service in the first set, eliminated extra simply than the second.

Solid Mannarino

Kecmanovic certainly managed to interrupt him to interrupt away 3-1, however the Frenchman was in a position to react instantly by taking his opponent’s service in flip. And he did it once more at 9^e sport to open the option to success, concluded in 1h30.

He could have rather a lot to do in opposition to the Argentinian Diego Schwartzman (N.5), winner of the Japanese Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 6-3.

Confirming his present unhealthy run, Benoît Paire was left inglorious (6-3, 6-4) by 19-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who will face Croatian Marin Cilic in the subsequent spherical.

Under a windy warmth, he appeared cottony, if not resigned, dealing with an opponent carried by a totally completely different momentum, semi-finalist in Acapulco the place he was stopped by Stefanos Tsitsipas.

French, 33^e world, nonetheless entered the match effectively, taking the opposing dedication. But the Italian shortly recovered, profiting from Pair’s first faulty ball (49% success). The latter may nonetheless have the breaker if he had not made unwelcome direct errors. He then chained two double faults synonymous with lack of the first set.

In the second, his sport was much more unraveled, displaying that he did not really feel higher in his tennis, which he typically dragged. This backhand is his 4^e in a row at the begin of the event, after Buenos Aires, Santiago and Acapulco.

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The French Benoît Paire, throughout a break throughout his match in opposition to the Italian Lorenzo Musetti, on March 27, 2021 at the Masters 1000 in Miami. Photo: AFP / VNA / CVN

“I played really well”

The Frenchman, who expressed his blues and generally restricted habits on the courts at the begin of the yr, this time was ironic. First by the gesture, by spreading his arms as an indication of liberating victory, after his final setback out of bounds.

Then by the phrases: “I played really well against a very good player. It’s very positive, I’m very happy with my level of play, and happy with what I produced on the court. I will build on this game. I was very calm, with a very good mentality. I hung on until the end“.

Stefanos Tsitsipas (N.2) made an ideal begin to his debut, profitable 6-1, 6-4 over Bosnian Damir Dzumhur. He will face the Japanese Kei Nishikori (N.28).

Same presence for the Russian Andrey Rublev (N.4) who removed the American Teddy Sandgren 6-1, 6-2.

In the girls’ class, the Australian Ashleigh Barty, world No. 1 and title holder, superior to the spherical of 16, beating 6-3, 6-2, the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko.

She will go a much bigger take a look at in the subsequent spherical, in opposition to the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (N.14) who beat the German Angelique Kerber (N.24) 7-5, 6-2. Their a part of the desk has additionally cleared a bit extra with the package deal of Simona Halep, injured in the proper shoulder.

AFP / VNA / CVN