Tennis News

Mpetshi Perricard's sizzling ace match average leaves rivals in dust

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is the new ace king of the ATP Tour.

Leveraging his 6’8” frame, the 21-year-old Frenchman has used his serve to devastating effect in 2024, serving on average five aces more per match than any other player.

‘Gio’ has fired 87 aces across four matches this week en route to the Swiss Indoors Basel final, topping even his jaw-dropping season average of 17.8 aces a match, which is a significantly higher mark than any other player on tour according to Infosys ATP Match Stats.

Coming into Basel, Mpetshi Perricard had served 375 aces across 21 matches. That mark was five aces more per match than Hubert Hurkacz, who has the next best 2024 match average of 12.8. (The Pole has served more total aces than any player this season, with 730 untouched serves in 57 matches.)

His booming deliveries have proven to be a key to his rise. After starting the 2024 season outside the Top 200, the young star is up to a career-high No. 37 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, after reaching the final of the ATP 500 this week. Mpetshi Perricard also claimed his maiden tour-level title in Lyon in May.

Most Aces Per Match in 2024

Numbers do not include play at this week’s ATP 500s in Basel and Vienna

When including this week’s serving exploits in Basel, ‘Gio’ has fired 462 aces in 25 matches this year at an average of 18.5 aces per match.

For year-to-date averages ahead of this week’s ATP 500s in Basel and Vienna, Alexander Bublik is third on the list with an average of 11.2 aces in 46 matches this season. Mpetshi Perricard’s countryman Arthur Rinderknech is fourth, averaging 10.2 aces per match. German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff, who is closing in on 4000 career aces, holds an average of 9.9 aces per match in 42 contests this season.

Mpetshi Perricard served 17 aces in his 7-6(6), 6-4 upset of Holger Rune Saturday to advance to the Basel final, where he will play another one of the game’s biggest servers, Ben Shelton. The Frenchman won the lone Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between the pair in June at Queen’s, when he out-aced the American 16 to 9.

Soon after at Wimbledon, Mpetshi Perricard fired 51 aces in a five-set win over Sebastian Korda.

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Auger-Aliassime withdraws from Paris due to back injury

Felix Auger-Aliassime announced on Saturday his withdrawal from the Rolex Paris Masters due to a back injury.

“I tried to give myself every last opportunity to be fit to play in Paris but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be this year ❤️‍🩹🇫🇷,” Auger-Aliassime wrote on Instagram. “After experiencing some pain in my back during Basel, I did some testing and attempts to practice before concluding that I wouldn’t be ready to compete in Paris at the level I’d hope for.

“That being said, it’s a bittersweet ending to the season and I’m going to do everything in my power to recoup mentally and physically for a strong start in 2025 💪🏽 We keep going 😌”

Auger-Aliassime was drawn to play Ben Shelton in the first round, with the winner to take on No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner in the second round. The Canadian is No. 27 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

Auger-Aliassime closed his post with a message to his fans: “Thank you as always for all of your kind words and support 🙏🏽”

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Purcell/Thompson qualify for Nitto ATP Finals

Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson are the fourth doubles team to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. They join Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic, Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos and Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori in the field.

The Australians have enjoyed a standout season, including a run to their first major title together at the US Open, where they lost just one set en route to the trophy. In New York, Purcell and Thompson became the first men from their country to win the US Open doubles crown since Todd Woodbridge triumphed with Swede Jonas Bjorkman in 2003.

The victory came on the back of heartbreak. Purcell and Thompson made the Wimbledon final, in which they earned three championship points before falling short to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.

The qualifiers have also claimed trophies in Dallas, Los Cabos and Houston this season. Although it did not contribute to his qualification with Purcell, Thompson won the Madrid ATP Masters 1000 title with Sebastian Korda.

Purcell, 26, was an alternate at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022 with Matthew Ebden. Thompson, 30, will be at the season finale for the first time.

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Mpetshi Perricard serves past Rune in Basel, continuing SF success for young stars

Youth was served on Saturday at the Swiss Indoors Basel. Specifically, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard served 17 aces as he continued his breakout season with a 7-6(6), 6-4 upset of Holger Rune. 

The Frenchman beat his fellow 21-year-old to improve to 4-1 against Top 20 players in the PIF ATP Rankings and advance to his biggest career final at the ATP 500. He will next meet 22-year-old Ben Shelton, after the American defeated 20-year-old Arthur Fils.

“It’s amazing to be in the final. I played a good match today. It was difficult against Holger, but I found the key to win this match,” said Mpetshi Perricard. “Inside of me there was a lot of emotion, but I tried to calm it down. It’s nice to be in the final and I hope to get the win.”

After beginning the season outside the Top 200, the Frenchman is up to No. 37 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings this week, setting him up for a career high. He entered the week at No. 50 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

PIF ATP Rankings: Biggest Movers Into The Top 50 (2024)

The youthful last four in Basel marked the first time an ATP Tour event featured four semi-finalists born in the 2000s. It is also the second semi-final lineup with four players younger than 23, with the previous instance six years ago in Washington courtesy of Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.

Saturday’s youth movement also extended to Vienna, where Jack Draper beat Lorenzo Musetti in a matchup of 22-year-olds.

This guy is going places 🌪️@MpetshiG‘s magical run in Basel just got even better as the young French star reaches his FIRST 500-level final!#SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/YmNK8yqyx0

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 26, 2024

In the Basel semi-finals, Mpetshi Perricard never faced a break point and won 87 per cent (33/38) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. After an opening set without a break chance for either man, the first 13 points of the tie-break went to the server. Mpetshi Perricard saved a set point at 5/6 before snatching the tie-break with its first mini-break.

The Frenchman capitalised on a a loose Rune service game to break at the start of set two and showed no signs of tension as he cruised through his next five service games to seal the victory. Now with 87 aces in his four Basel wins, Mpetshi Perricard has not lost a service game game in the tournament. He’s also won four of his five tie-breaks on the week, including a third-set tie-break against Denis Shapovalov in the quarters.

After winning his first Lexus ATP Head2Head matchup against Rune, Mpetshi Perricard will bid to improve to 2-0 against Shelton in the final.

“It’s always 50/50 when you step on the court. Yeah, I won [against him], but one time and it was on grass,” the Frenchman said, referencing his Queen’s Club win earlier this year. “Now it’s a different match. We are in the final, it’s going to be tough.

“There is a lot of emotion because both of us want to get the title. I will try my best, he will try his best, but at the end there is only one winner. It’s going to be fun.”

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Draper fends off Musetti in Vienna SFs to secure ATP 500, Top 15 breakthroughs

Even with the 2024 season into its final weeks, Jack Draper continues to break new ground.

The Briton held his nerve to edge Lorenzo Musetti 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday afternoon and reach the championship match at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. In doing so, he advanced to his maiden ATP 500 final and simultaneously ensured he will on Monday rise into the Top 15 of the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time.

Draper battled through a topsy-turvy second set, in which he let slip a 4-2 lead and had to withstand a clear rise in Musetti’s level, before completing a one-hour, 49-minute victory.

“I thought the first set was a really high level from my side,” said Draper. “Definitely Lorenzo is a really tough competitor. I’ve known him since I was really young and playing against him is always so difficult. He’s had an incredible season.
“The second set was really up and down. There were some long points and definitely some nerves and difficult moments, but I’m really proud of the way I kept on fighting and kept on going. In the end I got it done.”

The 22-year-old Draper was one of three players that age or younger to advance to an ATP 500 final on Saturday: In Basel, where all four semi-finalists were under 23, the 22-year-old Ben Shelton beat 20-year old Arthur Fils before Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard beat fellow 21-year-old Holger Rune.

🎶 Super super Jack, super JACK DRAPER 🎶

Lights-out tennis from @jackdraper0 sees the talented Brit reach his first ATP 500 final!#ErsteBankOpen | @ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/YjLC4MjSJP

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 26, 2024

Draper converted five of 10 break points he earned to down Musetti, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Even when he was pegged back by the Italian when serving at 4-2 in the second set, he kept his cool to deliver an emphatic response by breaking in the very next game.

After extending his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead against Musetti to 3-0, Draper secured his spot in the biggest title match of his career. The 22-year-old has reached three ATP 250 finals in the past 12 months: in Sofia at the end of 2023 (l. to Mannarino), and in Adelaide (l. to Lehecka) and Stuttgart (d. Berrettini) earlier this year.

“It’s my biggest final yet. I’ve been in 250 finals,” said Draper, who also reached his first major semi-final at September’s US Open. “I’d say a Grand Slam semi-final is probably a bigger match, but at the same time to be in the final at a 500 after all the work I’ve put in this year and the season I’ve had, I’m incredibly grateful and really happy to be in this situation. Roll on tomorrow.”

Draper will take on Karen Khachanov for the trophy in Vienna knowing he has also guaranteed he will rise three spots to a career-high No. 15 in this coming Monday’s edition of the PIF ATP Rankings.

Khachanov upset second seed Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-4 to continue his bid for back-to-back titles after his Almaty triumph last week. Now on an eight-match winning streak on indoor hard courts, he is into his first ATP 500 final and his biggest tour-level final since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

In his second Top 10 win of the season (d. Medvedev in Monte-Carlo), Khachanov cruised to a 6-2, 5-2 lead without facing a break point. De Minaur managed to close to 5-4, but he could not stop the 28-year-old from serving out the match on his second opportunity.

Into his 10th tour-level final (7-2), Khachanov will bid to add to his Doha and Almaty titles this year. If he can improve upon his 2-1 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Draper, he will match his three-trophy haul from 2018, a personal best.

De Minaur’s defeat is a blow in the Aussie’s bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. He could have moved into seventh place in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with the Vienna title, but instead will enter the Rolex Paris Masters in ninth, 165 points behind Andrey Rublev for the all-important eighth spot.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Draper reaches Vienna final in straight sets

British number one Jack Draper reaches the Erste Bank Open final by beating Italian Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets in Vienna.

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Shelton snaps Fils’ ATP 500 streak, reaches Basel final

Ben Shelton’s big-kicking lefty serve proved the key ingredient to snapping one of the ATP Tour’s most impressive open streaks on Saturday at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

The sixth-seeded American downed Arthur Fils 6-3, 7-6(9) in a hard-fought 78-minute semi-final encounter to halt Fils’ winning streak at ATP 500s after 13 matches. Shelton did not face a break point and won 88 per cent (45/51) of points behind his first delivery against Fils, according to Infosys ATP Stats, but he was still forced to rally from 3/6 in the second-set tie-break before completing his win.

“I served really well today, and I had to because I know what Arthur is capable of when he touches the ball,” said Shelton in his on-court interview. “The goal was to let him know I got clean hits on the ball as much as possible, and I executed really well. He served well [too], so there weren’t that many long points. A really high level match, and I’m not sure how I pulled that tie-break out in the second set.”

⭐️ PERFECTION FROM BIG BEN ⭐️@BenShelton defeats his good friend Fils 6-3 7-6(9) to reach the showpiece final in Basel!!!#SwissIndoorsBasel pic.twitter.com/sjVteMObn3

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 26, 2024

Shelton (aged 22) and Fils (20) were two of a host of young talents in ATP 500 semi-final action on Saturday. Shelton’s final opponent will be Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (21), who later prevailed 7-6(6), 6-4 against fourth seed Holger Rune (also 21). Meanwhile at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, Jack Draper ousted his fellow 22-year-old Lorenzo Musetti to reach his maiden ATP 500 final.

“I think a really exciting thing about this tournament is in the semi-finals we had four guys 22 years old or younger,” said Shelton in Basel. “I think that shows how strong our next gen is. I’m the oldest of the four, so that’s kind of crazy to think about. Probably the first time that’s happened to me in the semi-finals.”

Saturday’s encounter was the second Lexus ATP Head2Head clash in the space of a month between Shelton and Fils, after the Frenchman clinched a deciding-tie-break quarter-final win en route to the Tokyo title. Although the pair are good friends off the court and competed together in the Basel doubles this week, Shelton acknowledged he had extra motivation to triumph in the semi-final.

“I think it’s always difficult to play friends, but maybe it was a little bit easier for me because he beat me in Tokyo and I wanted revenge,” he said. “He got the title that week, so hopefully I can come and get this title this week.”

Now 41-23 for the season, the 22-year-old Shelton has also guaranteed himself a return to the Top 20 of the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday with his Basel run. He has risen four spots to No. 19 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings so far this week, and would rise another spot to 18th if he lifts the trophy on Sunday.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Home hopes Erler/Miedler save 2 MPs to seal Vienna final spot

In a week when home favourite Dominic Thiem competed for the final time at the Erste Bank Open, Alexander Erler and Lucas Miedler continue to keep the Austrian flag flying at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

The wild card pair booked its championship-match spot in dramatic fashion on Saturday at the indoor hard-court ATP 500. Erler and Miedler saved two match points in the Match Tie-break to down Wimbledon champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten and set a final showdown against Neal Skupski and Michael Venus.

Chasing their fifth tour-level title of the season, Heliovaara and Patten raced to the opening five games of Saturday’s semi-final clash. They were unable to maintain that momentum to close out victory, however. They soon fell 2-5 down in the second set and, although they rallied from to level at 5-5, Erler and Miedler soon levelled the match with their second break of serve in the set.

Then came the Match Tie-break drama. The Austrians rallied from 1-4 and then from two match points down at 7/9 before converting their own third match point for a famous triumph in which they converted both break points they earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

With their 85-minute victory, Erler and Miedler avenged their Marrakech final loss to Heliovaara and Patten and drew level at 1-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series between the two teams.

Koolhof/Mektic reach Basel final, boost Turin hopes
At the Swiss Indoors Basel, Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic halted the run of home duo Marc-Andrea Huelser and Dominic Stricker with a 6-4, 6-7(1), 10-6 semi-final victory. Koolhof and Mektic responded well to a disappointing second-set tie-break to complete a 98-minute triumph.

By reaching their sixth tour-level championship match of the season, Koolhof and Mektic strengthened their Nitto ATP Finals qualification chances. As a result of their run in Basel so far, the 2020 champions at the prestigious season finale have risen two spots to fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

Koolhof and Mektic will climb another spot to fourth should they defeat Jamie Murray/John Peers in Sunday’s final. They are now on an eight-match winning streak, having arrived in Basel off the back of a title run at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

In the other semi-final, qualifiers Murray and Peers staged a comeback and ousted second-seeded Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-5. The pair sealed the thrilling encounter in one hour and 46 minutes.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Sinner’s ‘very tough’ opening assignment in Paris: Big server or… big server!

Jannik Sinner does not yet know the identity of his opening-round opponent at next week’s Rolex Paris Masters. Yet he is already well aware that his return game will be put to the test early in his bid for a fourth ATP Masters 1000 crown of 2024.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings has been drawn to face Ben Shelton or Felix Auger-Aliassime in his Paris opener. Whether it is the big-kicking lefty serve of World No. 23 Shelton or the flatter, right-handed delivery of No. 19 Auger-Aliassime he ultimately comes up against, Sinner knows he will need to adapt quickly in his first match indoors since he lifted the Rotterdam trophy in February.

“[It is a] very tough draw. A very, very difficult draw, especially here on these courts,” said Sinner in his pre-tournament press conference on Saturday in the French capital. “Big servers are very tough. But we go day by day. Then anything can happen. The draw can open up sometimes, or you never know what’s coming.

“I try to prepare in the best possible way for the first-round match. It’s going to be very difficult against Ben. It’s very, very difficult in any case. And against Felix, I never won [in two attempts]. So it’s going to be a very tough one.”

Sinner has won just one match in three appearances in Paris-Bercy. He fell to Carlos Alcaraz, in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting, on event debut in 2021. After another opening-round exit in 2022 (to Marc-Andrea Huesler), Sinner registered his first Rolex Paris Masters win against Mackenzie McDonald last year, but then withdrew before his third-round encounter with Alex de Minaur.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Sinner, who is 65-6 for the season and has already sealed ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. “I’m focused about myself, and hopefully I can raise the level from the last two years I came here, which I have struggled a little bit here on this court. So let’s see.”

With just two weeks to go until the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where Sinner will compete for the third time, the 23-year-old is seeking a big end to his standout 2024 season. He will hope to improve his 5-0 unbeaten record on hard courts for the year at an event that has crowned several unfavoured champions over the years.

“It has been a long season, but always when you arrive to the end everything can happen,” said Sinner.” Some players, they are a bit more fresher; some, they are a bit more tired.

“But I’m personally happy to be back here. It has been a tournament where I couldn’t yet find my best tennis until now. But let’s see what I can do this year. Hopefully it’s going to be a good one but also a very, very tough one.”

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Boulter loses to Kenin in Pan Pacific semi-finals

British number one Katie Boulter loses in straight sets to Sofia Kenin in the Pan Pacific Open semi-finals.

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