A title win for Metz, Bonzi's impressive end to the season

Benjamin Bonzi won the first ATP tournament of his career in Metz, confirming a return to form that nobody could have seen coming in recent months.

The Frenchman beat Cameron Norrie (7-6, 6-4) in the Moselle Open final, his 21st victory in his last 22 matches.

A run that began on the Challenger circuit, with back-to-back titles in Roanne and Saint-Brieuc, having lost just one set in both tournaments.

In Brest, Bonzi had a tougher time (three matches played in three sets) and fought his way through to the final, where he had match points before losing to Otto Virtanen. Despite this setback, he arrived in fine form for the qualifiers in Metz.

Once in the main draw, he successively eliminated Roberto Bautista-Agut, Casper Ruud, Quentin Halys and Alex Michelsen to reach the final.

The consecration came on Saturday with his victory over Cameron Norrie, which enabled him to leap up the ATP rankings. On Monday, he will again enter the Top 100, ranked 78th in the world. He had started the week in Moselle ranked 124th in the world.

Before his title in Metz, Benjamin Bonzi's record in ATP tournaments this year was 0 wins and 6 losses. Thanks to his new ranking, he will enter the main draw of the Australian Open.