Arthur Cazaux has come a long way. Because on Sunday, after his defeat against Fabio Fognini in the second and final round of qualifying for the Rolex Paris Masters, the Frenchman already saw himself on a train heading to Metz, his last tournament of the season. Three days later, thanks to the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner, affected by an “intestinal virus”, the 85th in the world is in the round of 16 of the last Masters 1000 of the year, with a victory against Ben Shelton (19th) in his bags (6-3, 7-6).
And what success! Returning to the Challenger circuit in recent weeks, with a final in Shenzhen against McDonald, the Montpellier native was chasing a big victory since that against Lorenzo Musetti on February 27 in Dubai. However, he started the year very strong with a round of 16 at the Australian Open and a success against Holger Rune, then in the world top 10.
This Wednesday, Arthur Cazaux found his former level, with a huge serve and a hell of a forehand slap. The Frenchman only lost two small points on his play in the first round, with five aces up for grabs. Conversely, Ben Shelton lost his entry throw, which cost him the first set (6-3).
The second set was a battle of big servers. In twelve games, the returners have only won ten small points, far too few to be able to hope for a break. The decision was therefore made in a tie-break. If the American started better, to the point of leading 4-2, it was the French who had the last word, with a final winning service.
Drunk with joy, he took the opportunity to write on camera: “Paris, it’s true that it’s still magical.” In the round of 16, the adversity will increase even more with the Dane Holger Rune, 13th seed. But it’s more of a sweet memory for him…
