Mpetshi Perricard’s name might be mouthful, but you might as well get used to saying it—and to seeing him belt serves past his opponents by the bucket full. He’s 20, he’s French, he’s 6-foot-8, he just cracked the Top 60, and two months ago he came out of qualifying to win his first title, in his hometown of Lyon. Mpetshi Perricard has been called the future of tennis by more than one close observer of the sport.
To understand why, you have to see him play. He may be the most athletic player of his height or above that we’ve seen so far. He combines that height with a smooth service motion and an explosive wrist snap. More than other serve-bots past, though, he also has a knockout forehand, a decent amount of speed, and a willingness to come to net. Interestingly, but perhaps unfortunately, he also has a one-handed backhand.
None of that, naturally, made Korda’s day. The two traded service holds and screaming winners for four rain-delayed sets. All four went to tiebreakers, and all four of those breakers were decided by two points or less. When they were over, the score stood at two-sets all. As close as the match was, the safe money likely would have been on Korda to win the fifth. He’s the more experienced player, he had just snuck through a 9-7 fourth-set tiebreaker, and last month at Roland Garros, Mpetshi Perricard, who had never won a main-draw match at a major before today, lost a similarly epic five-setter to David Goffin.
Despite all of that, it was Mpetshi Perricard who prevailed. As is often the case with a monster server, it took just a couple of moments of inspiration, combined with a nervous slip from his opponent, to put the match in Mpetshi Perricard’s hands. With Korda serving at 0-1 in the fifth, Mpetshi Perricard hit a running forehand pass; made a nice reflex backhand that landed near the baseline; and watched as Korda missed an easy forehand long at break point.
