Monfils Forced to Retire, Atmane Defeated on His Return: Disappointment for the French in Chengdu

Despite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's qualification for the round of 16, the record for the French players at the ATP 250 tournament in Chengdu on Thursday is mixed.

Terence Atmane, ranked 70th in the world and returning to the circuit for the first time since his incredible run at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, was defeated in his first match in China against Dino Prizmic, who had already faced the French in the Davis Cup last weekend (6-4, 6-3 in 1h22).

The left-hander did not obtain any break points and was too weak on his service games (conceding 3 breaks) to hope for a better result. Although he was leading 3-2 in the second set, he conceded the last four games and was thus eliminated in the first round.

Prizmic, 20 years old and ranked 121st in the world, earned the right to challenge top seed Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 16. Meanwhile, Gaël Monfils was unable to finish his match against Alexander Shevchenko. Near the end of the second set, the Frenchman, who celebrated his 39th birthday in early September, fell and injured his foot.

A few games later, he finally retired while trailing 0-1, 0-30 on his serve in the third set (6-7, 6-3, 1-0 ret.). Shevchenko thus qualifies for the round of 16, where he will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The latter is the only French player still in contention in Chengdu.