The beautiful story continues for Jules Marie… Nine years after waiting in vain near the stadium for the doors to the Melbourne qualifiers to open for him (and after stopping his professional career for a few years), the 32-year-old from Caen , pushed those of the second round against his compatriot Benoît Paire.
The Norman tennis video maker, who has a community of 107,000 followers on his YouTube channel, took advantage of the generosity of the whimsical Avignonnais, author of 45 unforced errors in two sets and 1h25 (7-6, 6-4). This is the first time that Jules Marie has won a match in a Grand Slam tournament.
His Australian performance already allows him to secure a minimum gain of 29,834 dollars (27,260 euros), which is more than the entire prize money collected for his nine finals in ITF events in 2023. For comparison, he had received a check for 2,160 dollars (1,974 euros) when validating his ticket to Australia in December, by winning the Future of Zahra in Kuwait!
In the next round, the 226th in the world will face the Swiss Alexander Ritschard, who took out the French Clément Tabur (7-6, 6-3). As a reminder, you must win three matches in order to win a precious ticket to the main draw of the first Grand Slam of the season.
A journey to follow in sound and images. Arthur, twin brother of Jules and the originator of their YouTube channel, commented live on his entry into the running in Melbourne by interacting with subscribers. Initiative should happen again on the next turn.
