Luca Nardi v Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (03/10/2025)

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard began the 2025 season hoping to build on his breakthrough 2024 results and started positively, reaching the semifinals in Brisbane. Unfortunately, what followed has been nothing short of disastrous, with numerous heartbreaking defeats in tight matches, raising questions about how long he can endure such setbacks. Even on the Asian swing, all three of his matches have gone the full distance, and he lost two of them.

Despite suffering several brutal defeats, all is not lost for Perricard. How his season ultimately ends, whether disastrous or respectable, will depend on his performances in the coming weeks. His current top-50 ranking is largely sustained by the title he won in Basel last October, and how he recovers those points will ultimately determine the fate of his season.

The French youngster will not want to wait until Basel to make an impact and can relieve some of the pressure on his shoulders by securing a couple of wins at the Shanghai Masters. He lost in the first round on his debut in 2024 and has no points to defend this week.

Luca Nardi has produced some of his best performances on the main tour at the Masters level, and once again, he delivered at the Shanghai Masters this week. He secured a first-round win over Sebastian Ofner in three sets, ending a streak of three consecutive losses and marking his first victory since reaching the round of 16 run at the Cincinnati Masters.

The talented yet consistent Italian has seven career wins over top-50 players, with five of those coming at the Masters level. The most notable of these was a three-set victory over Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.

Head-to-head: 0-0. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is the more proven and accomplished player on the main tour and deservedly starts as the favorite. However, he is currently lacking confidence, and Luca Nardi, who has shown a knack for delivering his best tennis at the Masters level, has a fair chance if he brings his A-game once again.