At the beginning of March, Benoît Paire won the Puerto Vallarta Challenger in Mexico. His first title since 2019 allowed him to rise to a modest 170th place in the ATP rankings but also to make people talk about him again on the circuit. James Blake, the director of the Miami Masters 1000, thus awarded him an invitation for the qualifications of the tournament.
For the first round of these qualifications, the Frenchman disposed of the Dutchman, 120th in the world, Gijs Brouwer (6-2, 6-4). Despite a break conceded in the first set, Benoît Paire never trembled to rally the next round. He will face Thanasi Kokkinakis there in order to win his ticket for the final table. Absent in Indian Wells recently, his last major tournament dates back to August 2022, at the Masters 1000 in Montreal.
Blancaneaux still in contention
Ranked 169th in the world on Monday, just ahead of Paire, Geoffrey Blancaneaux also made his way into the second round. The 24-year-old defeated Australian Rinky Hijikata in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 6-4) and will face Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, 114th at the ATP, to access the main draw of the tournament. Floridian, synonymous with first participation in a Masters 1000.
