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By Adrianna Outlaw | Thursday, July 23, 2015

 
Benoit Paire

Benoit Paire toppled top-seeded David Goffin, 6-2, 6-3, to set up a Bastad quarterfinal against Denis Istomin.

Photo credit: Skistar Swedish Open/Fredric Berggren

Benoit Paire beat the rain and top-seeded David Goffin in the process.

As a persistent drizzle intensified into heavier rain sending some fans to the exits, Paire pounded out two of his eight aces in the last game sealing a 6-2, 6-3 victory to advance to the Bastad quarterfinals.

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The 62nd-ranked Frenchman reached his first ATP-level quarterfinal since making the last eight in Casablanca in April of 2014. Paire will play Denis Istomin for a semifinal spot. Istomin won their lone prior meeting, 6-3, 6-4, in Istanbul last April.

Istomin maintained his mastery of Nicolas Almagro, 6-3, 6-3, raising his career record to 5-0 against the Spaniard in reaching his third quarterfinal of the year. Istomin also beat Almagro last month en route to his first career ATP title on the grass courts of Nottingham.




The 14th-ranked Goffin was making his Bastad debut and playing as a top seed for the first time in an ATP tournament. The slender Belgian appeared physically compromised, clutching at his chest a few times and taking treatment for an apparent chest injury. Paire also took an injury timeout for treatment of his ankle.

Paire uses his accurate and versatile two-handed backhand to put the Belgian on his back foot. He cracked the backhand crosscourt, drove it down the line and mixed in a fair share of drop shots to unsettle Goffin.

Surging out to a 4-1 second-set lead, Paire was broken for the only time in the second set when he served for the match. Goffin lashed a forehand down the line holding for 3-5 and forcing Paire to serve for the match a second time.

At that point, the rain began falling harder, prompting some fans to flee for the exits. Paire, who won 13 of 14 points played on his first serve in the set, slid successive aces for triple match point. Goffin netted a backhand return to end a 65-minute match.

In an all-Spanish match, second-seeded Tommy Robredo stopped Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-4, 6-4, avenging a 2013 Bastad loss to the left-hander.

Two-time former champion Robredo, who raised his record to 29-12 in Bastad, will play Paul-Henri Mathieu in the quarterfinals. The French qualifier was a 6-3, 6-3 victor over 81st-ranked Ernests Gulbis.


 

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