British No 1 Cameron Norrie battles back from a set down and 2-4 in the fifth set to defeat crowd favourite Benoit Paire after three hours and 33 minutes of action; Jack Draper was forced to pull out during his first-round clash with Tomas Etcheverry due to injury
Cameron Norrie kept alive British singles interest at this year's French Open despite being forced to dig deep and win a five-set thriller against home favourite Benoit Paire on Monday.
Norrie is the last Brit standing in singles at Roland Garros after Jack Draper was forced to retire injured from his opening match earlier in the day.
But he survived a nail-biter with Frenchman Paire and the raucous Roland Garros crowd to win 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4.
"It was an amazing match," said Norrie. "All credit to Benoit. He played really well. He made it really difficult. Great atmosphere, thank you to everyone for the support both ways, it was amazing. I'm pleased to be through after a really tough one."
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There looked set to be a British wipe-out for the second time in four editions in Paris when Norrie trailed 4-2 in the deciding set on Suzanne Lenglen.
But 14th seed Norrie pulled off a stunning victory after three hours and 33 minutes to set up a meeting with another Frenchman, Lucas Pouille.
I think the crowd can be tough at times, but I keep reminding myself it's good to be playing, that I want to be out there competing and being in those tough moments when the crowd is against me.
He probably should have won a scrappy first set that lasted almost an hour, breaking for 4-3 and then having seven more break points after Norrie had levelled.
Norrie's fighting spirit and a dependable wide serve to Paire's backhand helped him through the opener.
"I think both of us didn't know why he called it," said Norrie after the match. "I think Benoit thought it was for him, both of us were a bit confused. It was for sure a grunt. It was a big point. I don't know why he felt it was necessary to get involved there. He gave me no warning whatsoever.
"It ultimately changed the momentum of the match. I was holding pretty comfortably, for the most part, up until that point. The next point Benoit had a winner and then I was a break down.
"It was strange. He must have thought that I said something, and I think for him to get involved there was absurd."
The partisan crowd were in full voice when Paire managed to hold to level the match, and the French national anthem boomed around Suzanne Lenglen when their man broke again to lead 2-1 in the third set.
With Paire feeding off the support, Norrie was kept on the back foot and this corner of Paris was in party mood as the Frenchman moved two sets to one in front.
Benoit Paire packed up his bag after two sets when the pair last met in the same round at the US Open last summer
The fourth set went by in a flash, with Paire broken early and then appearing to save himself for a decider, where Norrie handed his opponent the initiative again right at the start with a game full of errors.
But the British No 1 did not allow his head to drop and his probing earned dividends with a break back for 4-4 before Paire finally cracked.
He can expect a similar atmosphere in the next round, when he takes on a resurgent Pouille, who has been the toast of Roland Garros this week after coming through qualifying following injury and personal problems.
Norrie relishes such occasions, saying: "I think it's great to play those matches in Grand Slams against home favourites, and I think that's why I play tennis. That's why I love those moments.
"To be on the flip side of that is difficult at times. I think the crowd can be tough at times, but I keep reminding myself it's good to be playing, that I want to be out there competing and being in those tough moments when the crowd is against me.