Mpetshi Perricard sidelines Zhang in Dubai for his return to competition

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was solid enough to dispose of Zhizhen Zhang (6-3, 7-6) in the 1st round of the Dubai tournament on Monday.

In what was his first match since January and an elimination in the 1st round of the Australian Open, the Frenchman relied, as usual, on his serve (13 aces) and decisive volleys to get out of tricky situations, as in the second set where he saved two set points at 6-5.

Despite winning 31% of his return points and converting just one break point out of seven, Mpetshi Perricard came through and will face Daniil Medvedev or Jan-Lennard Struff in the next round.