Coach Perricard produced a flurry of 51 aces to knock Korda out of Wimbledon

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard produced a memorable performance on Tuesday to knock out 20th seed Sebastian Korda in the first round at Wimbledon.

The down-on-his-luck 20-year-old Mpetshi Perricard fired 51 aces to defeat Korda 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-3 in hours three. and 21 minutes. The Frenchman saved all 11 break points he faced to win his first match at a major tournament.

Mpetshi Perricard lost in four setters to Maxime Janvier in the final qualifying round despite hitting 44 aces. He went deep to deliver more aces on Court 16 against Korda and this time he won after two rain delays.

This is Coach Perricard’s first time playing at Wimbledon. One year ago, yet to break into the Top 200 in the PIF ATP Rankings, the Frenchman was competing in an ATP Challenger Tour event in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan during the grass court season.

The critical moment came with Korda leading 6/5 in the third break of the set. The pressure was on Coach Perricard to avoid falling behind two sets to one against an experienced player. He rose to the occasion, delivering back-to-back aces before hitting a forehand volley winner to claim the set.

Fittingly, after earning the first break of the match in the fifth set, Coach Perricard cruised to victory, breaking his 51st ace on match point.

There has been a rapid rise for the 20-year-old, who did not qualify for the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. This April, ranked number 162, he won the Challenger title in Acapulco and hasn’t looked back since.

The rising star won his first ATP Tour title in Lyon, upset fellow senior Ben Shelton at Queen’s Club and is now into the second round at Wimbledon, where he will next face Yoshihito Nishioka. The Frenchman will take a 13-inch better chance in their match on Thursday.