Bonzi/Rinderknech Move Through In Paris
Benjamin Bonzi and Arthur Rinderknech got their doubles campaign under way with victory on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, downing Stefanos Tsitsipas and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 7-6(3), 6-4.
The French wild cards teamed up for the first time but clicked into gear immediately, winning 79 per cent (34/43) of their first-serve points to advance in 88 minutes. They will face eighth seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo in the second round.
Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen also moved through, overcoming Simone Bolelli of Italy and Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina 7-6(2), 6-4 after one hour and 48 minutes.
The Belgians won the title together in Singapore in February and set the wheels in motion for another similar run in Paris, saving all eight break points they faced to advance. They will next meet Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, with the top seeds aiming to clinch their 10th tour-level title of the season at the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the year.