French tennis player Benoit Paire is well-known for his antics on the court. Over the years, he has landed in trouble due to it. This time, however, it amused the spectators and left his opponent, Casper Ruud, dumbfounded.
Paire is currently playing at the UTS Grand Finals in London. The Frenchman made it to the finals of the Maia Challenger, the last tournament he played, where he lost to Nuno Borges. At the UTS, Paire is in the same group as Ruud and Andrey Rublev.
Casper is playing the event with the nickname ‘Ice Man’ while Paire is ‘The Rebel’. The matchup between Benoit and Casper turned out to be everything the fans could have hoped for and more. One particular moment stood out, though, as Benoit drank beer during the match. What was even more impressive was that Paire won the point against Ruud, leaving him and the crowd stunned.
Who else can do that?😅
Between 2 points, @benoitpaire drinks a beer in the crowd and wins the point with a hard-fought backhand against Ruud! 😂
Santé! 🍻🇫🇷 #UTSLondon pic.twitter.com/rTPM1jx69p
— UTS Tour – London (Dec15-17) (@uts_tour_) December 16, 2023
This incident occurred between two points. The UTS has a 15-second rule between points, so Ruud was ready to serve when Paire started chugging beer from one of the fans. He managed to return the ball and then went on to win the point, as the crowd erupted in applause.
Benoit Paire was as entertaining as ever, even though Casper Ruud went on to clinch the match in straight sets. With this win under his belt, Ruud is now in the final four, along with Rublev.
Casper Ruud vs. Benoit Paire at the UTS
The Ice Man stayed true to his name as Casper kept a cool head to defeat Paire in front of a packed house. Theirs was the last match on the first day, and Ruud ended the proceedings with a 17-12, 18-9, 16-10 win.
Paire was flamboyant and tried to unsettle Ruud, but he kept calm and came back from behind to win the first quarter. Ruud played consistently to take the second quarter as well. With a loss inevitable, Benoit brought out the cool moves like the underarm serve and a tweener. The Frenchman could not distract Casper in any way.
Tough way to end the day 😭😭
Casper Ruud defeats Paire 3-0, eliminating him from advancing in the competition.#UTSLondon pic.twitter.com/CawYwbYwKu
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) December 15, 2023
Casper Ruud had a very average season, and he could not reach the highs of the previous years. He will hope to play better when the season begins next year.