Mpetshi Perricard completes dream week in Lyon with first ATP title

Wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard treated the home crowd to a dramatic victory in the Open Parc Lyon final on Saturday afternoon. Mpetshi Perricard saved one championship point before beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7) at Parc de la Tête d’or.

Both finalists were seeking their first-ever ATP title.

Mpetshi Perricard and Etcheverry traded blows from start to finish. The Frenchman took the first set from a break down before Etcheverry dominated the second. The decider was on serve until Mpetshi Perricard broke for a 6-5 advantage. However, the 20-year-old understandably got tight while serving for the title and Etcheverry broke back to force a tiebreak.

It was a tense ‘breaker throughout, with Mpetshi Perricard giving back a mini-break on multiple occasions. Etcheverry eventually saved a championship point at 5-6 before his opponent fought one off with a booming first serve at 6-7. Mpetschi Perricard finally got across the finish line with an overhead smash at 8-7.

MPETSHI PERRICARD WILL SOAR INTO TOP 100

It was an improbable week for Mpetshi Perricard, ranked No 117, who also defeated Italian Lorenzo Sonego (6-3, 6-4), Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka (via walkover), qualifier Hugo Gaston (6-4, 4-6, 6-3) and Kazakh Alexander Bublik, the second seed (6-4, 7-5).

“It was crazy, a very good final,” Mpetshi Perricard assured. “I was down in the second set, but I managed to do better. I’m very happy to win this tournament and I now have a lot of confidence for Roland-Garros.”

The rising star will climb into the top 100 when the new rankings come out, likely all the way up to No 66.

Etcheverry was playing in his third ATP final. The world No 29 earned his spot in it with victories over Spanish qualifier Nikolas Sanchez Izquierdo (1-6, 6-2, 6-2), Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild (7-5, 3-0 ret.), German Dominik Koepfer (6-4, 6-1) and Italian Luciano Darderi (6-2, 6-4).

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