NEW DELHI: Italian 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti ended the remarkable journey of Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who was celebrating his 21st birthday, in a clash on Court Two at Wimbledon.
Despite losing the first set, Musetti displayed his superior skills to secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 victory and advance to his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Mpetshi Perricard, a lucky loser from qualifying, had made an impressive run in his Wimbledon main draw debut, thanks to his powerful serve.
In his first-round match against 20th seed Sebastian Korda, he fired an astonishing 51 aces and had already surpassed the 100-ace mark before facing Musetti.
Although Mpetshi Perricard's 140mph serve was effective in the opening set, Musetti capitalized on the Frenchman's fatigue as the match progressed.
The Italian's ability to adapt and maintain his composure ultimately led him to a well-deserved victory, spoiling Mpetshi Perricard's birthday celebrations on the court.
"It's such a big day for me and I'm really happy and proud of this win against a tough opponent," Reuters quoted Musetti as saying.
"I struggled a little at the beginning against a big serve. I'm a little bit shaking still but at the end it's a really phenomenal day for me."
Mpetshi Perricard, a rising star who recently entered the world's top 100 rankings in May, showcased his powerful serve by delivering 10 aces against Musetti. However, despite his impressive serving performance, the 22-year-old Musetti managed to break Mpetshi Perricard's serve five times throughout the match.
Although Mpetshi Perricard's remarkable journey in the tournament has come to an end, he leaves a lasting impression by leading the tournament's aces charts with an astounding 115 aces. It is highly unlikely that any other player will surpass this impressive total during the remainder of the competition.
Musetti now advances to the quarter-finals, where he will face either the fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev or the 13th-seeded Taylor Fritz, both formidable opponents in their own right.
