Benoit Paire booed off court after spectacular meltdown at Citi Open

Paire, who is known for his short fuse, lost his temper in stunning fashion after missing a smash to drop serve and trail 5-2 in the deciding set

Frenchman Benoit Paire was booed off court at the Citi Open in Washington after a spectacular meltdown during his first-round loss to Marcos Baghdatis.

Paire, who is known for his short fuse, lost his temper after missing a smash to drop serve and trail 5-2 in the deciding set.

He sat on the court and smashed one racket before flinging it across the tarmac, and then walked to his chair, kicking that before smashing another racket and sending it flying.

Baghdatis, himself no stranger to a racket smash, walked over to Paire apparently to try to calm him down but, after making no effort to return a serve on match point in the next game, the Frenchman smashed a final racket before shaking hands.

When the crowd were encouraged at the end of the match to show their appreciation for Paire, a 29-year-old ranked 55, they responded with loud booing.

PA