Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Jakub Mensik had a tense handshake at the net following the Frenchman’s 7-5, 7-6(5) victory over the young Czech at the Brisbane International. The World No. 31 moves into the semifinals, where he will face Reilly Opelka.
The quarterfinal clash featured two of the most promising rising stars of the 2024 season. Mpetshi surged from outside the top 200 into the top 30 in just one year, adapting impressively to the demands of the ATP Tour. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Czech climbed from outside the top 150 to break into the top 50.
Although this was their first ATP-level encounter, the two previously faced off at the 2023 Poznan Challenger, where Mpetshi prevailed in a narrow 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 win in the first round.
Mensik was visibly unhappy after the hour-and-34-minute defeat and showed evident frustration during the handshake. Mpetshi Perricard, on his part, didn’t seem inclined toward a more amicable exchange either.
Once again, Mpetshi Perricard leaned heavily on his serve, which has arguably become the best on the Tour this season. He fired 19 aces and won 76% of his service points, leaving Mensik unable to find a way through.
The key moments went against Mensik. After a tight first set, the Czech conceded his only break point at 5-6 when a tiebreak seemed inevitable. Mpetshi capitalised on this opportunity to take the set 7-5.
The second set followed a similar pattern, with both players holding serve firmly. Once again, Mensik found himself serving at 5-6, saving a match point to push the set into a tiebreak. However, one missed point on his serve was all Mpetshi needed to seal the victory.
Mpetshi Perricard’s next opponent will be American Reilly Opelka (World No. 293), who has rediscovered top form early in the season, notably defeating Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.
The handshake between Mpetshi Perricard and Mensik 🥶pic.twitter.com/h2L1DoE77s
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) January 3, 2025