The accident that halted Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Montpellier

The indoor European tour of the professional circuit began this week in Montpellier with the Open Occitanie, an ATP 250 tournament. On the central court Patrice Dominguez, an unfortunate moment occurred when 22-year-old French tennis player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, born in Lyon and ranked 57th, was hit directly in the face, leading to his early exit from the tournament.

A surprising incident in the opening match

The match featured two French players: Arthur Gea, ranked 168th in the world, and Mpetshi Perricard in the opening night session. Gea had an advantageous position, having broken serve and leading 5-3 with 30-0 in the first set, when the unexpected happened. Mpetshi Perricard was moving toward the net to volley, but the ball struck his left eye forcefully. The player immediately called for medical assistance. Although the doctors applied eye drops to try to ease the impact, Mpetshi Perricard was unable to continue. After just 38 minutes of play, he was forced to withdraw, allowing Gea to advance unexpectedly.

A missed opportunity on a favorable surface

This withdrawal is a significant setback for Mpetshi Perricard, who started 2026 with notable performances in Brisbane and Auckland, reaching the quarterfinals at both events. He then traveled to Melbourne Park for the Australian Open, where he lost in five sets to Argentine Sebastián Báez in a competitive match. The fast, indoor court in Montpellier suited his aggressive playing style perfectly.

The French player has two ATP titles to his name, both won in 2024: one in Lyon on clay and another in Basel on a fast surface. These achievements demonstrate his versatility on different court types, making his participation in the French tournament particularly promising.

Gea advances, Machac awaits

Arthur Gea, who entered the main draw through a wild card from the organizers, will now face Czech Tomas Machac in the second round. Machac is ranked 28th and is the third seed in the tournament. Gea arrives at this match strengthened after his surprising performance at the Australian Open, where he qualified and defeated Czech Jiri Lehecka (19th) before falling to Stan Wawrinka in five sets.

Montpellier with Auger Aliassime as favorite

The tournament offers a total prize of 612,000 euros and features Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime as the top favorite. Montpellier is the only ATP event taking place this week, coinciding with the first-round matches of the Davis Cup, in which Argentina will play decisive matches against South Korea over the weekend in Busan.