Mpetshi Perricard claims career-high win over Fritz in Shanghai

In the humid haze of Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard etched a career milestone on Sunday at the Shanghai Masters, toppling World No. 4 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-5 in a gripping 85-minute battle. The 21-year-old Frenchman, ranked No. 37, avenged a crushing Wimbledon defeat where he blew a two-set lead, channeling that pain into his first Top 10 triumph by PIF ATP Ranking. This straight-sets upset not only marked his debut fourth-round appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 but also highlighted his evolution from qualifier grinder to elite disruptor amid the tournament’s rising stakes.

Overcoming top-10 shadows with smart adjustments

Mpetshi Perricard’s journey to this point had been shadowed by a 0-6 record against Top 10 foes, including close calls against Lorenzo Musetti and that Wimbledon heartbreak against Fritz. Drawing lessons from those setbacks, he refined his game on Shanghai’s slower hard courts, mixing heavy topspin forehands with slice backhands to vary bounce and disrupt the American’s powerful baseline game. Fritz started aggressively, leaning on inside-out forehands to control rallies, but the humidity dulled his edges, allowing the left-hander to extend points with deep crosscourt returns and force unforced errors.

The first set turned in the 10th game when Mpetshi Perricard broke serve after a tense exchange, his down-the-line backhand slicing the sideline to claim the edge. In the second, Fritz clawed back momentum but faltered in the 11th game, squandering a 30-0 lead with a double-fault and a netted crosscourt attempt under the crowd’s swelling anticipation. Mpetshi Perricard sealed the break with an inside-in forehand winner, then held firm with 12 aces and zero break points faced, his one–two combinations keeping rallies efficient in the draining conditions.

You gotta do what you gotta do @MpetshiG | @SH_Masters | #ShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/WPxBlY3oAo

— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 5, 2025

Humidity drains power in pivotal exchanges

Shanghai’s oppressive moisture turned the match into a physical gauntlet, sweat blurring lines of sight and slowing swings for both players as the afternoon wore on. Fritz, fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin with a 450-point buffer over the final qualification spot, relied on his big first serve early to dictate tempo, but fatigue eroded his precision, leading to errant down-the-line shots that floated wide. Mpetshi Perricard thrived by conserving energy, using underspin on returns to keep balls low and force his rival to bend, a tactic that amplified the American’s movement struggles without overextending himself.

ATP Stats reveal the Frenchman’s dominance on serve, where he avoided any break threats while capitalizing on Fritz’s tiring game in key moments. The crowd’s murmurs built with each prolonged rally, the arena’s electric hum underscoring the mental toll as points stretched under the weight of year-end implications. This victory, born from tactical patience rather than raw power, positions Mpetshi Perricard as a late-season threat, his adjustments proving how surface subtleties can flip power dynamics in high-stakes draws.

Rune looms in fourth-round humidity test

Ahead lies Holger Rune, the 10th seed and fellow Turin aspirant, who grinded through sticky conditions to defeat Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-4, reaching the fourth round for the second straight year. The 22-year-old Dane extended his 5-0 ATP Head2Head lead over Humbert, including two 2025 wins at Indian Wells and Shanghai, by balancing flat groundstrokes with serve-focused play to minimize court coverage. Rune emphasized mental toughness post-match, noting how he pushed aggressively at junctures while saving stamina, making his opponent labor in the heat.

“We are both Europeans, so we’re not quite used to this kind of weather, but I just told myself it’s the same for him and I’m just going to try to stay strong,” Rune said. He focused on serve reliability and energy management, turning the humidity into a shared burden that his variety exploited. Their upcoming clash pits Mpetshi Perricard’s growing tactical depth against Rune’s relentless baseline pressure, a matchup where endurance and adjustments could dictate another breakthrough or a stern lesson in the race to Turin.

Elsewhere on a tension-filled Sunday, Gabriel Diallo progressed when David Goffin retired trailing 0-3 in the first set, setting up a showdown with Zizou Bergs, who outlasted 19th seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(1), 6-3 through steady baseline control. These advances thicken Shanghai’s narrative, where every hold carries the pulse of qualification dreams, the Frenchman’s surge signaling how resilience in the swelter can rewrite a season’s arc toward greater horizons.