Benoit Paire has beaten Philipp Kohlschreiber 7-6 7-5 to secure his passage into the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Just three places separate the two players in the ATP World Rankings and that was reflected in two fiercely-contested sets that Frenchman Paire managed to edge.
The opener went all the way to a tie-break before world number 27 Paire stamped his authority on the match by winning it 7-1.
Kohlschreiber seemed poised to level the contest when leading 5-4 in the second, but Paire reeled off three games in a row to claim victory against his higher-ranked opponent.
The 24-year-old has progressed to play eighth-seed Stanislas Wawrinka, who was given a first-round bye.
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
