Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has shattered a Wimbledon record during his first-round clash with Taylor Fritz on Monday night.
The French player smashed the annual event's serve speed record with a thunderous 153mph delivery under the Court One roof, eclipsing the previous record of 148mph set by American Taylor Dent in 2010.
The 21-year-old initially broke the long-standing record with a 151mph serve before surpassing his own mark moments later with the 153mph rocket.
The 6ft 8in Frenchman's confidence was evident as he also fired a 147mph second serve past Fritz, a delivery that would have nearly matched the old record on its own.
The record serve clocked in at 153mph
BBC
Fritz, who entered the tournament as the fifth seed after winning grass court titles at the Boss Open and Eastbourne, was expected to progress comfortably against his unseeded opponent.
Instead, Mpetshi Perricard's remarkable serving display electrified Court One and secured him the opening two sets.
Both sets went to tiebreaks, with the Frenchman prevailing 7-6(6) in the first and 7-6(8) in the second.
Fritz fought back to claim the third set 6-4, reducing the deficit as the match intensified.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is now the proud record holder of the fastest serve at Wimbledon
REUTERS
The American levelled the contest at 10.15pm, winning a tense fourth-set tiebreak 8-6 to force a deciding set.
A tournament organiser entered the court shortly after Fritz's fourth-set victory, halting play due to Wimbledon's 11pm curfew.
Officials determined there was insufficient time to complete a fifth set, prompting the suspension.
The decision left Fritz visibly frustrated as both players were forced to leave the court with the match delicately poised at two sets each. The pair will return to Court One on Tuesday to complete their first-round encounter.
READ MORE: John McEnroe tells Wimbledon star to 'retire immediately' after speaking to his wife
Taylor Fritz was left visibly frustrated after the match was suspended
REUTERS
The interruption came at a crucial juncture, with momentum having shifted towards the American after he recovered from his two-set deficit.
The winner will advance to face either Rinky Hijikata or Flavio Cobolli in the second round.
Mpetshi Perricard's explosive serving follows his breakthrough performance at SW19 last year, when he unleashed 51 aces to defeat 20th seed Sebastian Korda on his way to the fourth round.
The world No36's participation in that tournament came through fortunate circumstances.
"I was lucky to play! [Alejandro] Davidovich Fokina pulled out, so that's why [I got in]," the Frenchman told the media before this year's Championships began.
Most Read
