Toronto Masters 1000: Rune Serene Against Mpetshi Perricard, Muller Overcomes Kecmanovic

Two French players were on the courts this Tuesday evening at the Toronto Masters 1000. In the second round, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard faced Holger Rune, while Alexandre Muller took on Miomir Kecmanovic.

Having defeated Shintaro Mochizuki (6-4, 6-2) in his opening match, the world No. 43 was looking to regain confidence after suffering four consecutive losses before arriving in Toronto.
But standing across the net was Holger Rune, the world No. 9, ready to challenge the Frenchman.

The Dane, who withdrew at the last minute in Washington last week due to a back issue, had recovered and was making his debut in the Canadian city. Rune had one goal in mind: to avenge his loss to Mpetshi Perricard, who had beaten him in the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament in Basel late last year.

The scenario was vastly different from the Swiss tournament. Rune, in better form than his opponent, displayed his superiority. After a tight and hard-fought first set—during which Rune saved a set point—he took control before breaking midway through the second set to seal his victory (7-6, 6-3 in 1 hour and 16 minutes).

Mpetshi Perricard failed to earn a single break point and logically bowed out. The Dane advances and will face another French player, Alexandre Muller. The timing is perfect, as Muller was up against Miomir Kecmanovic.

Exempt from the first round, Muller was drawn against the Serb, who had knocked out Quentin Halys (4-6, 6-4, 7-5) in the opening round. In a tense and unpredictable match that went down to the wire, the Frenchman—who experienced every emotion during the battle—ultimately prevailed against the world No. 50 (2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in 2 hours and 7 minutes).

After closing out the match on his second attempt while serving at 6-5, Muller continues his run and will now aim to overcome Rune for a spot in the round of 16 at the Toronto Masters 1000.