Austrian tennis talent Sebastian Sorger missed a major upset at the ATP 125 Challenger tournament in Bratislava, falling in a tight second-round qualifying match to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 3:6, 7:5, 6:7(6), as reported by LAOLA1.
The 20-year-old Austrian, ranked No. 388 globally, pushed the hard-serving Frenchman through three grueling sets before bowing out in a decisive tiebreak.
Struggles Against the Serve in Set One
Facing the towering French opponent, Sorger found few answers in the opening set. Mpetshi Perricard capitalized on a crucial break to secure the first frame 6:3. At that stage of the match, the Graz native remained a significant distance away from threatening the Frenchman’s service games.
Second-Set Break and Decisive Comeback
The second set proved far more competitive. Sorger successfully fended off a break point at 3:3 to keep the score level. Shortly after, at the most critical juncture of the match, Sorger converted his very first break opportunity to pull ahead 7:5. Mpetshi Perricard, usually a reliable server, showed nerves under pressure and contributed to the decisive game with two double faults.
Third-Set Tiebreak Drama and Match Point Defense
Sorger matched the Frenchman stroke for stroke in the third set, forcing a tiebreak without surrendering a single break chance. The tiebreak evolved into a tense battle. Trailing 5:6, Sorger saved the first match point before Mpetshi Perricard converted his second opportunity to take the tiebreak 8:6 and seal the victory.
🇦🇷 Sebastian Baez vs 🇫🇷 Giovanni Mpetshi PerricardBaez's last indoor hard win was here in Basel in 2023. He's 0-10 indoors at ATP and Challenger level since, pretty shocking form. But on the other hand GMP is really off his game…Mpetshi Perricard won this title in 2024,…
Jurij Rodionov Reaches the Main Draw
While Sorger narrowly missed out on an upset, fellow ÖTV player Jurij Rodionov secured his place in the main draw. The 27-year-old is scheduled to face Italy’s Stefano Travaglia, who holds the No. 159 ATP ranking, in the opening round of the tournament.
Keep reading
