Benoit Paire will continue his Paris campaign on Tuesday against another Frenchman–Gilles Simon–after staging a hard-to-believe comeback against Gael Monfils. Meanwhile, first-round action is continuing with Fernando Verdasco vs. Borna Coric.

Benoit Paire vs. (14) Gilles Simon

How Paire is still alive at the BNP Paribas Masters in order to be part of Tuesday’s second-round schedule is hard to fathom. The 23rd-ranked Frenchman trailed compatriot Gael Monfils 6-2, 4-0 in his opening match and looking thoroughly disinterested–to the extent that he was hearing boos from the French crow. But that is when it suddenly turned around for Paire, who stormed back for an improbable 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 victory. Thus continues an impressive late-season surge for the 26-year-old, who reached the fourth round of the U.S. Open and the Tokyo final.

Next up for Paire is a seventh career meeting with Simon. The head-to-head series stands at an even 3-3, with…