After his hard-fought victory against Nick Kyrgios, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (world No. 31) once again made headlines at the Brisbane tournament. On Thursday, he defeated American Frances Tiafoe (world No. 18) in a match where he showcased his incredible power and impressive serving skills. The Frenchman fired 20 aces, including four right at the start of the match. His first ace clocked an astonishing speed of 232 km/h. Mpetshi Perricard landed 67% of his first serves. Over two matches, he has hit 56 aces and hasn’t faced a single break point.
After the match, the Lyon native expressed his delight: “I’m happy with my performance. I tried to be aggressive on his second serves, and it worked,” he said. Now with six wins in seven matches against top-20 players, he added, “I had a good preseason and am trying to bring new elements to my game. Playing against a top player doesn’t change much for me.”
During the post-match interview, a journalist, impressed by Mpetshi Perricard’s power and ace count, asked him: “Do you remember the first time you hit a serve over 200 km/h? How old were you?” Smiling, the Frenchman replied, “Maybe 10 years old,” before laughing and correcting himself, “No, just kidding. I think I was 15 or 16.”
Interviewer: “Do you remember the first time you hit the 200 kph mark … and how old you were?”
Mpetshi Perricard: “maybe 10?” 😂 😭 #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/cMLX6xVeRC
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 2, 2025
Mpetshi Perricard will face Czech player Jakub Mensik (world No. 48) in the quarterfinals this Friday.
Mpetshi Perricard in Brisbane, ranking, and results in 2025
Now the world no.31, Giovanni has an overall 3-0 win-loss record in 2025. Mpetshi Perricard is competing in Brisbane where he bested Nick Kyrgios 7-6(2) 6-7(4) 7-6(3), Frances Tiafoe 6-4 7-6(4) and Jakub Mensik 7-5 7-6(5).
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard will compete against Roberto Ortega-Olmedo in the 2nd round. In the past, they have never competed against each other so far in top events.
