Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of Lyon, France made tennis history on Sunday. By beating 2023 United States Open semifinalist Ben Shelton of the United States in the final of the 2024 Swiss Indoors, 6-4, 7-6. Mpetshi Perricard became the lowest ranked champion in the history of the tournament. Mpetshi Perricard entered the Swiss Indoors ranked 50th in the world.
In the final, Mpetshi Perricard won with his serve. He had 22 aces, compared to only 10 for Shelton. Mpetshi Perricard won 85% of his first serve points (compared to 75% for Shelton), and 78% of his second serve points (compared to 62% for Shelton). Mpetshi Perricard broke Shelton in the first set, and then won 7-4 in the second set tiebreak.
Shelton, the sixth seed, was one of three seeded players that Mpetshi Perricard beat in Switzerland. He also beat 2021 United States Open semifinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, the eighth seed, 6-1, 7-6, in the second round, and Denmark’s Holger Rune, the fourth seed, 7-6, 6-4, in the semifinals. It should be noted that Auger-Aliassime won the Swiss Indoors in 2022 and 2023. Another notable player Mpetshi Perricard defeated was 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov of Canada, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in the quarterfinals.
Mpetshi Perricard is the first unseeded French player to win the Swiss Indoor since 2004. That year he Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic defeated 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian of Argentina 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. From 1975 to 2006, the Swiss Indoor final was best of five.
Two French tennis players have won the Swiss Indoors in the past. Jean-Claude Barclay of Paris defeated Leonardo Manta of Switzerland, 6-3, 7-5 in the 1973 final. Then, Yannick Noah of Sedan, France beat Mats Wilander of Sweden, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 in the 1982 final, and then Ronald Agenor of Haiti, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the 1987 final.
This is Mpteshi Perricard’s second ATP title. The first came in May in Mpetshi Perricard’s hometown of Lyon. He won the Lyon Open by beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina in the final, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6.
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