Perricard downs Fritz to reach the Shanghai round of 16

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard scored the biggest victory of his career Sunday, defeating World No. 4 Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-5 at the Shanghai Masters to reach the tournament's round of 16. The Frenchman completed the upset in one hour and 25 minutes at Qizhong Forest Sports City, firing 12 aces and earning a break in each set to clinch his first win over Fritz and his first victory against a top-10 opponent.

Perricard broke serve in the seventh game of the first set to seize a 4-3 lead, held at love in the next game and closed out the set on his first opportunity. In the second set he again secured a decisive break late, converting his advantage to finish 7-5. His reward is a last-16 meeting with 10th-seeded Holger Rune.

The result reversed the pair's recent history. Fritz beat Perricard in five sets at Wimbledon in July, a match that marked their only prior tour-level meeting. Perricard said the Shanghai win was a milestone. "The first Top 10 in a career is always a symbolic moment," he said. "It was a tough match, physically and mentally, but I did well and I'm very happy about it."

Fritz arrived in Shanghai coming off a loss in the Japan Open final and an unusually compressed...