Breaking down the Paire meltdown—the biggest yet on tour

There's meltdowns and then there's what Benoit Paire did at the Citi Open earlier this week. Before this, the most epic multiple racquet destruction in recent history was Grigor Dimitrov in Istanbul in 2016.

Paire is known for having a short fuse, but never quite like this. The 29-year-old exploded on court during his first-round match against Marcos Baghdatis in Washington. The chaos began when he missed an overhead and lost his balance to go down 5-2 in the third.

While still seated on the ground, the world No. 55 started his destruction. He smashed one racquet before walking to his chair, kicking it away, and then promptly ruining a second racquet. Baghdatis seemed to understand and he even gave Paire a sympathetic high five while crossing sides.

Paire wasn't done yet. After giving up the last game, and not even trying on match point, he smashed a third for good measure.

"Yes yes, it's true, I got upset yesterday...Congratulations to Marcos for yesterday and good luck," Paire said on Instagram.

After all of that, the drama still wasn't done. The crowd began to boo Paire who turned and started blowing kisses to them. He would receive a hefty $16,500 fine. That means, with his $7,130 earned for his first round, Paire actually owes money this week.

At least one good thing came from all of this. A pair of fans got to keep two of racquets as souvenirs.

ATP & WTA Washington D.C.

Catch all the action from the Citi Open with live coverage from three courts on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Monday, July 30th at 2:00 PM ET. All matches also available on-demand.