Benoit Paire and Alexander Zverev will both be returning to Marseille for the Open 13. The Frenchman will be returning for a fifth appearance while the German is set to make a third straight appearance.

Their History

Paire is set to make a third consecutive appearance as well, skipping out on the tournament in 2014. Last year was his best result at the tournament, making the semifinals. Before that, he only won one match in his previous three appearances. That win came in 2015 where his fellow countryman Paul-Henri Mathieu retired after dropping the first set. The Frenchman then lost to Stan Wawrinka in the second round.

Last year, Zverev came through qualifying for the tournament, defeating Marsel Ilhan in the final of his section of the qualifying tournament. After getting blasted by Gael Monfils in the opening set 6-1, the talented German showed off his capabilities by battling to 14-12 second set tiebreak which he eventually lost. This year, the 19-year-old took a wild card into the tournament and defeated Julien Benneteau. He took Tomas Berdych to three sets before succumbing to the Czech number one.

Zverev hitting a backhand (AFP/Jonathan Nackstrand)
Zverev hitting a backhand (AFP/Jonathan Nackstrand)

The Rest Of The Field

Defending champion Nick Kyrgios is set to return to Marseille. The title in France represented his first career title and the first of three titles on the year. Another former champion in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is also headed to Marseille. The French number two won the title back in 2009 and 2013. 2015 finalist Gael Monfils is also coming to the third-largest city in France. The French number one enjoyed a stellar season which saw him qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals. He was forced to withdraw from the tournament this year due to an injury. These three will be joining Lucas Pouille and Grigor Dimitrov as the early headliners for the tournament.

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About the author
Noel John Alberto
Filipino-American sports journalist from Toms River, NJ. UMBC Graduate and aspiring physical therapist. Tennis editor and multi-sport coordinator for VAVEL USA. Writer for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Serie A sections of VAVEL UK. Sports aficionado. Host of the On The Line tennis podcast.