Promising Week for Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Ends with Quarter-Final Loss in Antwerp

It’s the end of a week he won’t soon forget. After winning his first two matches on the circuit, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, 20, stopped at the quarter-final stage in Antwerp. The step was a little too high in the person of Alexander Bublik, seeded 3 in the Belgian ATP 250 indoor tournament and 36th player in the world. But the latter did not have fun since he was pushed after three sets (6-4, 4-6, 6-2), even if the game did not reach the hour and a half of play (1h27 exactly). In the half, the Kazakhstani will face Hugo Gaston or Maximilian Marterer.

The expected server battle took place, despite two consecutive breaks to start the debates. And it all came down to the ability of the two men to remain consistent and focused in this sector. Mpetshi Perricard paid dearly for two great moments of deconcentration. The first took place 3 games into the first set when, with a failed smash while retreating, he gave in and allowed his opponent to take the lead.

Then, at the very start of the third set, while he had the momentum in his favor, the French giant completely let go of the ramp. Two big errors on the forehand and, above all, two astonishing missed smashes for a player of this size put Bublik back in the driver’s seat (6-4, 4-6, 2-1). The latter, who had seen his percentage of firsts dip in the second act (40%), then pressed the accelerator to break away irremediably, finding his first serve (91% success behind, only 4 points lost). But Mpetshi Perricard can be proud: he will have shown good things (forehand blocks, blocked backhand returns) until the end and will enter the Top 200 next Monday.

2023-10-20 14:02:00
#ATP #Antwerp #Giovanni #Mpetshi #Perricard #eliminated #Alexander #Bublik #quarterfinal