Mpetshi Perricard upsets top seed Musetti in Brussels
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard earned his first win against Lorenzo Musetti in his fifth attempt on Friday, upsetting the top-seeded Italian 6-4, 7-6(8) at the BNP Paribas Fortis European Open in Brussels.
The Frenchman entered the quarter-final match with an 0-4 Lexus ATP Head2Head record against Musetti, including two losses this year at the US Open and last month in Beijing. But Mpetshi Perricard pulled no punches, dropping just six points behind his first serve (43/49), according to Infosys ATP Stats, and often moved forward to impose his will on the Turin-hopeful Musetti.
“I’m very proud. My record against him wasn’t very good,” said Mpetshi Perricard, who saved two set points in the second-set tie-break. “I stepped on the court and I said, ‘I need to try something else’, and it worked. It was a tight win. I was two match points up, then saving a set point. I’m very proud of myself.”
Mpetshi Perricard’s two career Top 10 wins have both come this month. He upset World No. 4 Taylor Fritz in Shanghai and has maintained that form to reach his third tour-level semi-final this season. He will next meet third seed Jiri Lehecka in the last four.
Mpetshi Perricard is 4-0 against Top 20 players on indoor hard courts and can improve upon that feat Saturday against World No. 17 Lehecka. The Czech led Benjamin Bonzi 6-7(8), 6-1, 4-1 when the Frenchman retired due to a left leg injury.
In other action, Felix Auger-Aliassime leapfrogged Jack Draper for ninth in the Race To Turin when he defeated Eliot Spizzirri 6-2, 7-6(6). The 25-year-old fought off the resilient Spizzirri, who held three set points on return in the second set. But Auger-Aliassime held his nerve, raising his level in a thrilling, topsy-turvy tie-break to advance.
“This sport can turn fast,” said Auger-Aliassime of letting slip a 4-2 lead in the second set. “Every opponent in the draw is difficult. You wake up every day hoping that it’s going to be your day and you prepare your best regardless of who you play.
“For a set and a half, it was tough to ask for better. Then I made one or two mistakes, but I have to give him so much credit. He raised his level, he played really well and it was a battle until the end.”
The Canadian is the second player to reach nine semi-finals this season, alongside World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz (11). Auger-Aliassime is the fourth man to record 30 hard-court match wins this season, including title runs in Adelaide and Montpellier. He leads the ATP Tour in indoor wins this decade (74).
The Montreal native is aiming for his second trip to the Nitto ATP Finals, having appeared at the year-end event in 2022. In the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, eighth-placed Musetti is currently 480 points ahead of Auger-Aliassime, who can close that gap to 330 points with the title.
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