The 21-year-old Tennis player offers himself the second final of his season after taking out Holger Rune in the semi-final.
The French Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, 50th in the world, offered his second final on the professional circuit on Saturday at the ATP 500 in Basel, dominating the Dane Holger Rune (N.14) 7-6 (6), 6-4. After winning the ATP 250 in Lyon in the spring, Mpetshi Perricard will play his first final in a tournament of this level, against the American Ben Shelton (N.23), who eliminated another Frenchman, Arthur Fils, a few hours earlier (N.20).
«It's great to be in the final!» exclaimed the winner just after the match. Asked about his chances against Shelton, whom he beat in straight sets during their only confrontation, on grass in London in June, Mpetshi Perricard judged that “(it was) always 50-50 when you enter a court. The final will be difficult, there will be a lot of emotion. I will do my best“, he assured. Thanks to his victory in the semi-finals, Mpetshi Perricard is already assured of reaching the best rank of his career in the next ATP rankings. In the event of a final victory, he would be the first Frenchman to win in Basel since Yannick Noah in 1987.
Two days before the opening of the prestigious Masters 1000 in Paris, in which they will both participate, Rune and Mpetshi Perricard engaged in a duel of elite servers in the first set, the two players systematically and without great difficulty maintaining their face-off until the tie-break. In the deciding game, the Dane and the Frenchman went blow for blow before the first finally cracked with a double fault, while his opponent led 7-6.
Obviously affected by the loss of the first set, Rune was broken in the first game of the second set, before Mpetshi Perricard pocketed his service game in the process to lead 2-0. The Frenchman then managed his advantage to win the second set 6-4 and end the match with a 17th ace, in less than 1 hour 20 minutes.
France
Tennis
