Bonzi, an exceptional end to the season concluded by a title against Norrie in Metz?
Benjamin Bonzi is coming off a phenomenal end to the year. His season up until the beginning of October was mediocre. The Frenchman was unable to return to his best level, or to start climbing the rankings after plummeting from 73rd to 180th place in the world in the space of ten months.
At the beginning of September, he decided to return to France to finish the year by playing a series of Challengers at home, with Metz (ATP 250) in his sights at the beginning of November. The first four tournaments (Cassis, Rennes, Saint-Tropez and Orléans) saw him reach the quarter-finals.
Then everything changed in just a few days on the courts of the Roanne Challenger (October 7-13). Bonzi gradually regained his confidence, eventually winning the title. He followed this up the following week by winning the Saint-Brieuc Challenger, then reaching the final in Brest, where he lost to Otto Virtanen despite three match points (6-4, 4-6, 7-6[6]).
A defeat that could have shaken the Frenchman's confidence, but not at all. He continued to build on his success in Metz, even going from strength to strength. After qualifying, he went on to beat Roberto Bautista Agut, Casper Ruud, Quentin Halys and then Alex Michelsen to reach the final with some exceptional tennis (see video below).
Bonzi now has one final hurdle to clear to bring his incredible month to a perfect close. He will face Cameron Norrie this Saturday in Metz in the final. In the meantime, he is already certain of a return to the Top 100 of the ATP rankings on Monday.
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