Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard earned the biggest win of his career on Sunday in Shanghai, knocking out world No. 4 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-5 to reach the fourth round of a Masters 1000 event for the first time. The Frenchman also avenged a painful Wimbledon defeat to Fritz earlier this season, when he had led by two sets.
Mastering the Conditions in Shanghai
In humid, energy-sapping conditions at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Mpetshi Perricard used timely shot-making to control the key moments. He struck 12 aces, did not face a break point, and made the decisive move in the 11th game of the second set after Fritz had led 30-0. He closed out the match in one hour, 25 minutes.
The result delivered his first victory over a top-10 opponent. He had arrived 0-6 in such matchups and had come close in previous encounters, including against Lorenzo Musetti and Fritz at Wimbledon. He said he targeted specific improvements since that loss and handled the physical and mental test more effectively in Shanghai.
Fritz’s third-round exit slows his push to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals, but he remains in a strong position in the Live Race to Turin. He sits fifth and holds a cushion of about 450 points over Lorenzo Musetti, who currently occupies the final qualification place.
Mpetshi Perricard will next meet 10th seed Holger Rune, who beat Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-4 to return to the fourth round in Shanghai. Rune, 22, extended his unbeaten record against Humbert to 5-0, with two of those wins coming this season, including Indian Wells and now Shanghai. He managed the sticky conditions by leaning on his serve and mixing aggression with longer rallies.
In other early results, Gabriel Diallo advanced after David Goffin retired while trailing 0-3 in the first set. Diallo will face Zizou Bergs in the next round after Bergs defeated 19th seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (1), 6-3.