Andy Murray, who always does his homework, knew all about Benoît Paire and his eccentric tennis, although they had never traded shots across the net in a Tour match before.
After two hours and 33 minutes under beating sun on Court Rainier III, the Scot’s education in the enchanting ways of the Frenchman’s game had been enhanced, and he went through to the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters by the skin of his teeth.
He did not properly find his feet on the clay but he did not throw it away as Novak Djokovic had on Wednesday, and went on to grind out a 2-6, 7-5, 7-5 win for a Friday encounter with Milos Raonic, who beat Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5) on Court des Princes.
On the showpiece court, Paire hit 52 unforced errors, 20 more than Murray, and the winner declared courtside: “He was very, very unpredictable.” You could say that.
You could judge the rhythm of the highly entertaining encounter by the oohs and aahs of the crowd baking in the midday sun, and they were largely reserved for Paire in the first set, as he slaughtered Murray’s second serve and tormented him with inventive work off the ground.
There were brutal smashes, superb volleys, delicate chips and not a few misses, as well, as the Frenchman entrusted his fate wholly to his talent.
When Murray served two double faults to hand the world No22 a 3-0 lead in the second set, the world No2 had slipped into a crisis of his own making and needed something special to even get back on level terms.
There was encouragement for him when he caught Paire napping on serve in the fourth game, and he consolidated to drag himself back into the fight, a set and 3-2 down after only 45 minutes. When he lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber here in two nightmare sets in 2010, he admitted his tennis had simply deserted him; this time, he was playing some lovely tennis but, it seemed, not enough of it to subdue his gifted but fragile opponent.
Of all Murray’s fine qualities, bloodymindedness is usually his weapon of last resort and, even trailing 4-2 and serving into sun that put his shadow directly beneath his feet, he was dangerous. Paire matched him for intransigence, sticking to his high-risk tennis. The Frenchman delighted the now sun-pinked gathering with his virtuosity, and got another break point as the Scot vented his frustration with a classic rant – before holding for 3-4.
Paire – who revealed earlier in the week that “physically sometimes I’m paralysed because of the stress” – was now within sight of a famous win. Would he crack with ball in hand? Yes.
Murray pushed him to deuce – and Paire struck his second double fault, saved, stumbled again, saved for a second time, gave up another break point to a scorching Murray line drive, saved, was put back on the rack ... and drove his final forehand long. Welcome to Murrayland.
Back on level terms, the Scot had to rebuild from scratch, point by painful point. He held to love. Paire held to 30 and forced deuce in the 11th game but could not prevent Murray going in front for the first time since the opening game of the match.
Then Paire’s dreaded paralysis struck. Up 40-love at 5-6, he double-faulted for deuce and it all began to go horribly wrong. The ball was no longer his friend, his backhand let him down and Murray served out the set to level at one apiece.
It was impossible not to feel for Paire, after he had the match all but sewn up in the first hour. It is all there: the soft hands, the vision, the will. What is palpably missing is self-belief in the best company.
Murray, who had nudged his appalling first-serve accuracy up to one legal effort in every two from 38%, knew he needed more free points in the third set. Not many came his way, even though he was serving at a respectable 75%, and he had to save break point to hold in the eighth game.
He could not hold off Paire at the next time off asking, however, and the Frenchman, cheered wildly by the enthralled crowd as he broke Murray at the third attempt, went up to the line to serve for the match at 5-4. Would he hold it together this time? No. A double fault, his sixth, gifted Murray a reprieve. It was almost inevitable.
True to the script of comedy chaos, Paire struck a final double fault to drop serve for the fifth and final time, went to the net to shake Murray’s hand and wandered away perplexed, not for the first time in his interesting career.
What a strange but engaging match it was: two players of immense talent and skill, Paire fighting self-doubt, Murray consumed by serial frustrations, the latter prevailing through perversity.
