TennisNH

Schwartzman Opens Toronto Campaign With Paire Victory

11-Aug-2021 20:28:00 | ATP World Tour

Diego Schwartzman was in ruthless form on Wednesday, easing past Benoit Paire in straight sets to reach the third round at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers.

After gaining a crucial break at the end of the first set, Schwartzman took control of the match, defeating the Frenchman 7-5 6-1.

The opening set was an intense contest, with the turning point occurring at 5-5 when Schwartzman displayed his phenomenal defensive abilities to save two break points. The Argentine would go on to hold serve and break in the subsequent game to take the set.

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Paire had more difficulty on serve in the second set, in which he made only 42% of first serves and committed seven double faults. No. 8-seeded Schwartzman was able to win the set handily as a result by breaking the Paire serve three times.

Schwartzman has had past success in Canada, reaching the quarter-finals in Montreal in 2017.

Up next for the World No. 14 is Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated American Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-4 in his second round match. Bautista Agut recovered from an early break deficit in the first set to win routinely, winning 82% of first-serve points and breaking the Paul serve four times.

The ATP Head2Head rivalry between Bautista Agut and Schwartzman stands at 1-1, with the Spaniard beating the Argentine at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in 2019.