Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard Wins Maiden ATP Title at 2024 Lyon Open

Mpetshi Perricard becomes the youngest player to win his first ATP title during the 2024 season.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, 20, defeated Tomás Martín Etcheverry of Argentina, 24, to win the Men’s Singles title at the 2024 Lyon Open in Lyon, France (an ATP 250 event). The score in the final was 6-4, 1-6 and 7-6 (9-7 tiebreaker) in favor of Mpetshi Perricard.

This was the first match Etcheverry and Mpetshi Perricard have ever played against each other on the ATP. Today’s victory was the first title Mpetshi Perricard has won on the 2024 ATP Tour and the first title of his career in single’s competition. Notably, this was the first final he has contested. He now becomes the seventh player to win their first ATP title during the 2024 season - and the youngest player to do so. His first title came from a clay court event.

Heading into this tournament, Etcheverry was ranked as the Number 29 tennis player on the 2024 ATP Tour, while Mpetshi Perricard carried the Number 117 designation. By winning in Lyon, Mpetshi Perricard has received 250 points in the overall rankings. Meanwhile, Etcheverry has picked up 165 points. By taking the title, Mpetshi Perricard will make his Top 70 debut in the rankings.

Arthur Fils of France (No. 30) was the tournament’s reigning champion. This year though, he withdrew from the main draw. Etcheverry was the event’s sixth seed while Mpetshi Perricard received a wildcard entry into the competition. Mpetshi Perricard becomes the fourth Frenchman to win the title in Lyon since the event was created in 2017.

Mpetshi Perricard arrived in the final after winning against Lorenzo Sonego of Italy (No. 50), Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan (No. 72), Hugo Gaston of France (No. 104), and Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan (No. 19). He prevailed against the event’s second and sixth seeds to win the title.

In the other half of the main draw, Etcheverry defeated Nikolás Sánchez Izquierdo of Spain (No. 260), Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil (No. 58), Dominik Koepfer of Germany (No. 67), and Luciano Darderi of Italy (No. 47). He didn’t compete against another seeded player throughout the event.

The revised rankings for the 2024 ATP Tour will be officially released on Monday, May 27. The tour will then play one tournament between May 26 and June 9: the French Open in Paris, France (a Grand Slam event). The competition will be played on clay courts.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia (No. 1) is the reigning champion at the French Open. He is looking to defend the title as the event’s top seed. Moreover, both he and Jannik Sinner of Italy (No. 2) are in contention for the Number 1 singles ranking. Djokovic must reach the semifinals to have a chance at retaining the position. Etcheverry and Mpetshi Perricard will also be competing. Etcheverry is the competition’s 28th seed while Mpetshi Perricard received a wildcard slot.