Julien enters semis
Defeats World No. 5 Cilic in Paris Masters quarterfinals
Paris, Nov. 4: Unlikely French hero Julien Benneteau delighted in his “most beautiful” victory after stunning world number five Marin Cilic 76 (7/5), 7-5 to reach the Paris Masters semifinals.
The 35-year-old dropped out of the world’s top 500 two years ago after a string of injuries, but is now two wins away from the first ATP title of his 17-year career, having lost all 10 of his previous finals.
The world number 83 had not beaten a top-10 player since 2014 before this week, but he has now seen off two in as many days after knocking out 10th-ranked David Goffin in the last 16.
“I believe that win ranks quite high in everything I achieved in my career. When it’s over, we’ll see what will be the final ranking,” he said.
“But, of course, individually, I believe it’s my most beautiful feeling ever,” he addeed.
Benneteau, who was given a wildcard into only his second Masters event of the season, had not won a match at this level in over a year before arriving at Bercy.
But an incredible run has taken him past Canadian rising star Denis Shapovalov, French number one Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, seventh seed Goffin and 2014 US Open champion Cilic.
“Well, I wanted to enjoy it and take advantage of it. It’s a crazy stadium. There’s a lot of noise and we feel the crowd is very close,” Benneteau added.
Benneteau is the first home player to reach the last four in five years, achieving what far morefancied French favourites have failed to manage. He is also set to retire at the end of next season.
— AFP