ATP Tour

Mpetshi Perricard shatters Wimbledon serve-speed record before Fritz match halted

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard entered the Wimbledon record books on Monday when he struck the fastest serve in tournament history. But the Frenchman will endure a nervous night of sleep as he waits to resume his upset bid against fifth seed Taylor Fritz.

The first-round match was suspended around 10:20 p.m. local time, with the approaching 11 p.m. curfew in mind.

Fritz trailed 1/5 in the fourth-set tie-break, just two points from defeat, yet clawed back to win seven of the next eight points and force a decider. Mpetshi Perricard claimed the first two sets 7-6(6), 7-6(8) before Eastbourne champion Fritz responded by winning sets three and four 6-4, 7-6(6), respectively.

In the opening game of the match, the 6’8” Mpetshi Perricard hammered a 153 mph (246 km/h) laser, five miles per hour faster than the previous Wimbledon serve speed record, a 148 mph missile struck by American Taylor Dent in 2010, according to the Wimbledon Compendium.

There was no easing into the match for Mpetshi Perricard, World No. 36 in the PIF ATP Rankings. With the roof closed on Court No. 1, Mpetshi Perricard's record-breaking serve came in the opening game at 30/0. Somehow, Fritz got a racquet on the body serve and chipped a forehand down the line, took control of the rally and won the point with a volley winner.

Mpetshi Perricard began the match by crushing a 149 mph serve, breaking Dent’s record right out of the gate. Not stopping there, the 21-year-old fired a 146 mph rocket at 15/0 and then turned up the heat even more to make history on the following point.

When the decision was made to suspend the match until Tuesday, Mpetshi Perricard was averaging 137 mph (221 km/h) on his first serve and 122 mph (197 km/h) on his second serve. He has crushed 33 aces while Fritz has 24 of his own. It is Fritz and Mpetshi Perricard's first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

Last year at the All England Club, Mpetshi Perricard soared to the fourth round as a lucky loser. He hammered 55 aces en route to upsetting 20th seed Sebastian Korda in a five-set, opening-round match.

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Alexander Zverev’s first-round clash with Arthur Rinderknech was also suspended, with the third seed digging deep to level the match at a set apiece just five minutes before curfew.

After dropping the opener 6-7(3), Zverev saved three set points in a second-set tie-break, claiming the set 7-6(8) to avoid falling into a two-sets-to-love hole. Neither Zverev or Rinderknech have dropped serve throughout the two-hour battle.