Finalist of the ATP 250 in Marseille last year, Benjamin Bonzi (126th) remained on seven defeats in a row before starting the tournament in Bouches-du-Rhône, this Monday evening. Invited by Jean-François Caujolle, tournament director, the Nîmes fell from the start against the Kazakhstani Alexander Shevchenko in two sets (7-6 [4]6-4) after 1h26 of play.
In a tight first set, the two men had to decide in the deciding game. Quickly trailing 4-0, Bonzi fell too far behind and had to hand over the set to his opponent despite an efficient first ball (73% of points won on serve). Out of the Top 100, Bonzi then made his plays without worrying his opponent about his.
Not finding the solution against the talented Shevchenko, who restarted perfectly, the 27-year-old Habs was broken at 4-3 but managed to resume his opponent’s service in the next game. We felt the Frenchie revived but Shevchenko ended the game with a white break (6-4). He will now have to face the defending champion and number 1 seed, Hubert Hurkacz (8th in the world).
