Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Tuesday July 2, 2024 at 6:29 p.m.
Drafted following the withdrawal of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard created the feat in the first round of Wimbledon by eliminating the 21st world Sebastian Korda, thanks to 51 aces. Constant Lestienne, however, fell against Lorenzo Musetti.
At 2.03m and with an ultra-powerful serve, he has a game made for grass. Unfortunately, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was not ranked high enough six weeks before Wimbledon to enter the main draw directly, and had to go through qualifying, falling into the trap in the third round against his compatriot Maxime Janvier. But the young Frenchman, who turns 21 on Monday, received a little help from fate, with the withdrawal of Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, which allowed him to enter the draw. Facing world number 21 Sebastian Korda this Tuesday in a match interrupted several times by rain, the Frenchman won in five sets and 3 hours 20 minutes of play, thanks in particular to 51 aces! He saved the eleven break points that the American had and converted one at the start of the fifth set, which allowed him to make the difference. Mpetshi Perricard won a first set without a single break point in the tie-break (7-5), then the American got back at him by winning the second in the tie-break as well (7-4). The Frenchman saved three break points at the start of the third set, finally winning 8-6 in the tie-break by saving a set point at 5-6. Then Korda pocketed the fourth set 7-4 in the tie-break, after missing eight break points in the set. Finally, Mpetshi Perricard finally broke the American’s serve at 1-0 and held on until the end without trembling, concluding the match at 5-3 with a shutout. He thus won his very first victory in a Grand Slam tournament and climbed to virtual world number 52. And his next opponent seems within his reach: the Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka, 90th, whom he beat in the round of 16 on the road to his triumph on the clay of Lyon in May.
Lestienne did not hold
Another Frenchman in the running this Tuesday afternoon between the raindrops, Constant Lestienne. The 92nd in the world was not the favourite against the 25th Lorenzo Musetti, and even though he took a set from him, he actually lost, in 3 hours and 10 minutes: 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-2. Winner of the first set thanks to a break at 1-1, the Frenchman then had a break lead in the second (3-1), but both players struggled to hold their serve, and after saving two set points at 5-4, the Italian finally pocketed the set in the tie-break (7-4). This stunned Lestienne, who found himself trailing 3-0 in the third set and was unable to come back, then cracked again in the fourth set (three breaks conceded). Musetti will face his compatriot Darderi in the next round.
