Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard fought through a three-set opener at the ATP Rome Masters 1000 on 08.05.2026, outlasting Fearnley in a three-hour battle after being away from competition for almost two months.
The win sets up a second-round meeting with Lorenzo Musetti at 20:30 CEST, and the task looks harder on paper than the opener. Musetti leads the head-to-head 4-1, and he arrives well rested, while Mpetshi Perricard is coming off a demanding return and had last played in Miami almost two months earlier.
That Miami trip ended with a first-round loss to Ugo Carabelli in three sets, a result that makes the Rome win more important than a routine opening-round advance. He came back in Rome and immediately had to grind, which is exactly the kind of start that can expose any rust after a layoff.
Now Mpetshi Perricard has to do it again, this time against an opponent who has usually had his number. The match against Musetti will show whether the Frenchman’s return in Rome was the start of momentum or just a hard-earned stay in the tournament.
