Top racquet smashes of '18: No. 1, Benoit Paire

Another season of hits and misses, replete with some between-points hijinks. These five in-the-moment and/or artfully planned instances of racquet abuses aren't to be celebrated by any means, rather appreciated, in a bit of a twisted way, for the passion behind them. See No. 2 here.

Here's No. 1:

1

Benoit Paire

In the year's No. 1 meltdown – yea, maybe the GOAT – the fiery Benoit Paire unloaded on his sticks – to the point that opponent Marcos Baghdatis sought to console him by placing his hand on the Frenchman's tete on a changeover. He did not help him, however, to the point of Paire turning around his seemingly self-fulfilling prophecy:

After his epically exhausting output, the 29-year-old finally fell by a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 count. And in what again made for a fan-pleasing finish, a couple onlookers garnered a good story and two useless tennis axes.