Bonzi completes dream week in Metz, clinches maiden title on home soil

Benjamin Bonzi overcame Cameron Norrie 7-6(6), 6-4 to lift his maiden ATP Tour title on home soil at the Moselle Open in Metz on Saturday.

Backed by a vocal home crowd, Bonzi delivered an impressive performance on serve, firing 10 aces and winning 75 per cent (45/60) of his first-serve points. The French qualifier entered the tournament with a 0-6 record this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“I am coming back from very far away this year. It was a very tough season,” said Bonzi in his post-match interview.

“I was not expecting a week like that. That’s crazy to finish the year like this.”

Playing Norrie for the first time, Bonzi took a 1-0 lead in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series. He will rise to No. 78 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, after having started the week at No. 124.

“Facing Cameron in the final is very tough. He has been in a lot of finals before. He [has] won before. I did too, but lost twice. The final was amazing, I kept saying to myself ‘go for it, go and take it, this is your chance,’ ” he said.

Both players raced to a solid start, with each holding their serves to love in the first two games of the match. Norrie made the first move, and broke Bonzi in the seventh game of the first set. Bonzi responded by breaking Norrie immediately in the eighth game. Momentum fluctuated at every point in the next game as Norrie carved 10 break point opportunities, before Bonzi turned up the intensity and remained resilient to hold his serve.

The set ultimately headed into a tie-break where Norrie earned his first set point. But Bonzi continued to stay aggressive and saved the set point. The Frenchman ultimately clinched the set in 68 minutes, sealing it with a stunning forehand.

Bonzi gave Norrie no chances to claw back in the second set and capitalized on his errors. He converted his only break point in the third game and maintained momentum from there to clinch the title. The 28-year-old displayed a clinical performance and finished having won 62 per cent (13/21) of points at the net, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Norrie, who struggled with a forearm injury in the middle of the season, won his last title at the Rio Open presented by Claro in February 2023 by defeating Carlos Alcaraz. The former No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings was contesting in his 15th tour-level final and is the second British finalist in the Moselle Open history after Andy Murray achieved the feat in 2007.

Bonzi remained relentless en route to his run to the championship match. After soaring through two rounds of qualifying, he upset Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round. The 28-year-old backed it up by stunning second seed Casper Ruud in the second round.

With the title win, he became the fourth qualifier after Alejandro Tabilo (ASB Classic) and Luca Darderi (Cordoba Open), to lift a trophy this season. Previously on Saturday, Denis Shapovalov also achieved the feat by winning the Belgrade Open.

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