No final in Winston-Salem for Mpetshi Perricard, defeated by van de Zandschulp
After Sebastian Korda withdrew before his semifinal, sending Marton Fucsovics directly to the final, the second spot was contested between Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Botic van de Zandschulp at the ATP 250 tournament in Winston-Salem.
The Frenchman, ranked 39th in the world, had eliminated Pedro Martinez, Alexandre Muller, and Hamad Medjedovic to reach his second semifinal of the season on the main tour after Brisbane.
But the 22-year-old's run came to an end just short of the final in North Carolina. Indeed, facing the Dutchman, who had finished his quarterfinal match against Bu Yunchaokete earlier in the day, van de Zandschulp won in straight sets (6-4, 7-5).
With 20 winners (including 6 aces) and 16 unforced errors, van de Zandschulp was solid and qualifies for the final, his third career final after having played and lost two in Munich against Holger Rune in 2022 and 2023.
In the final, and in an attempt to finally put his name on the list of ATP tournament winners, the 29-year-old will face Marton Fucsovics. The two have faced each other three times, with van de Zandschulp leading two wins to one.
Their last encounter, however, dates back to the first round of the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters 1000 (3-6, 7-6, 6-1 for the Dutchman). Before facing Rune in the first round of the US Open, van de Zandschulp will want to build his confidence.
On his side, Mpetshi Perricard will not play his first final of the year on the ATP tour and will now face one of the season's consistent performers, Lorenzo Musetti, in New York.
Winston-Salem 
