What an evening and what a night experienced by the Parisian public!
After the heroic victory of Gilles Simon, after the shattering elimination of Rafael Nadal, the Frenchman Corentin Moutet entered the Bercy court around 00:15 on Wednesday evening.
He came out 2 hours and 52 minutes later with his knees on the ground, but his fists clenched, proud as a peacock.
The terrible child of French tennis qualified for the first round of a Masters 1000 for the first time. A final winning lob sealed his victory against Briton Cameron Norrie (6-3, 5-7, 7- 6 (7/3)).
Corentin: UNMUTED đź—Ł@moutet99 equals the biggest win of his career, defeating world No.13 Norrie 6-3 5-7 7-6(3) in Bercy's latest-ever finish!#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/FmzY4XdxCU
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 3, 2022
“I really gave everything, I played my match from the first to the last point, I really believed in myself from the first to the last point.
The public stayed, they supported me a lot, really it was a very pleasant match to live.
I'm going to keep it in mind for a long time, I'm proud of myself, ”savors Moutet.
"It's one of my greatest victories"
"I went deeper, I was very tired with the matches I played before (since qualifying, editor's note), but I went deep inside to win this match, he continues.
It is sure that it is one of my greatest victories.
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This performance by Moutet comes the day after the French Tennis Federation confirmed its recent decision to deprive the player of federal funding, due to his repeated bad behavior on the courts.
Since the start of the year, the 23-year-old Parisian has stood out several times in tournaments with angry gestures.
He was notably disqualified in Adelaide (Australia) in January for having spoken badly to the referee.
More recently, he almost came to blows with Adrian Andreev after their meeting in Orleans in September, after clearly aiming for him on the fly during the warm-up.
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Coming from qualifying, Moutet will challenge world number 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the round of 16 on Thursday.
“I'm trained enough to recover normally, it's going to be another great experience, he appreciates.
It pushes me to my limits to play this kind of player, I will learn even more and I will believe in myself.
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Moutet After Midnight 🌚
Frenchman @moutet99 up a set 6-3 on Norrie at the #RolexParisMasters!
pic.twitter.com/UHL7QmSUM3
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 2, 2022
In his left-handed duel started at midnight past – 0:11 precisely – with Norrie, the small size (1.75 m, around 70 kg) this time knew how to keep his calm until the end.
Despite the missed opportunities, such as a ball from 5 games to 3 in the second set, a break lead (3-1) in the decisive set, and a first match point on the serve of the world No. 12, at 5 -4.
He will reach the best ranking of his career
This first round of 16 in the Masters 1000 comes two months after his first round of 16 in the Grand Slam, reached at the US Open.
It will allow him to climb to the gates of the top 50 on Monday, the best ranking of his career.
Asked about the extremely late hour of his match, "it's the same for the two players, I already play at the Central in Paris, it's a chance that I have to be there, I take advantage of it and I try to make the most of it.
There is nothing negative in that,” replies Moutet.
Only one other Frenchman made it to the round of 16 at Bercy: the pre-retired Gilles Simon, who is playing the very last tournament of his career, and electrifies the Parisian public like never before, at 37.
