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ATP ATP 250 Open Occitanie

Mpetshi Perricard retires in Montpellier after ricocheted volley strikes his eye

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard retired after a ricocheted volley struck his eye in Montpellier. (ATP 250)

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Home favorite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was forced to retire from his first-round match at the Open Occitanie after suffering a rare eye injury.

The 22-year-old was playing Arthur Gea on Court Patrice Dominguez at the ATP 250 event in Montpellier. Gea was serving for the first set at 5-3, 30-0 when the incident occurred. Charging in for a volley, Mpetshi Perricard saw Gea dig out a defensive reply and, on an extra backhand volley, the ball caught the frame of his racquet and ricocheted into his face.

The 6-foot-8 Frenchman immediately dropped to the court clutching his left eye. After treatment from tournament physios and an off-court medical timeout he returned to the court, visibly struggling to keep the reddened, bloodshot eye open.

Gea closed out the first set one point later with a big serve that Mpetshi Perricard could only steer wide. Though he briefly appeared to consider continuing, Mpetshi Perricard ultimately retired after consulting his team, trailing 6-3 (ret.). As a result, world No. 168 Gea advances to face No. 3 seed Tomas Machac in the second round.

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“It’s never easy to see a friend (injured) like this,” Gea said during his on-court interview. “Obviously, I didn’t want to do (it like) this, but it’s the game. He touched the ball, (it was) not on purpose.

“I was handling the match really (well) in the beginning. I was really good on the court and he was also playing really good. It was really stressful, but it was a good match.”

The episode drew comparisons to David Goffin’s similar freak eye injury in Rotterdam in 2018, when a ball deflected off his racquet frame into his left eye. Goffin avoided ‘structural damage’ but withdrew from subsequent tournaments because of lingering swelling.

Mpetshi Perricard is next scheduled to compete at the BNP Paribas Open, which begins March 4. He has yet to comment publicly on the nature of the injury.

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1000 ATP Miami Open

Sinner Breaks Masters 1000 Record with 26 Straight Sets

Jannik Sinner reached 26, consecutive sets won at Masters 1000 events after beating Moutet in Miami.

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Jannik Sinner extended an uninterrupted run of dominance at Masters 1000 level, setting a new record for consecutive sets won at that tournament tier.

By beating Corentin Moutet in the third round of the Miami Open, 6-1, 6-4, Sinner reached 26 straight sets won at Masters 1000 events, surpassing Novak Djokovic’s previous mark of 24 set wins in a row from 2016. The victory moves the Italian ahead in the record books for streaks that date back to 1990, when Masters-level tournaments began.

Sinner’s run includes flawless performances at the two most recent Masters 1000 tournaments. He captured Paris last fall without dropping a set (10-0) and followed that by sweeping Indian Wells last week (12-0). In Miami, he tied Djokovic’s long-standing record two days earlier with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the event. The straight-sets win over Moutet then took him past the previous high-water mark.

The streak reflects consecutive completed sets won at Masters 1000 events; note that a walkover loss would end the run. With the Miami Open still under way, Sinner’s sequence now stands as the longest such streak in Masters 1000 history.

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ATP Masters Miami Open

Miami Open’s new ‘Love All’ frosé highlights tennis’ booming signature-drink market

Miami Open’s new ‘Love All’ frosé shows how signature cocktails have become big business in tennis..

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The Miami Open has added a new entry to a growing list of tournament signature drinks with the Love All frosé. Created exclusively for the 2026 Miami Open by Santa Margherita Wines, the tournament’s official wine sponsor, the frozen rosé cocktail is priced at $22 and served in a collectible glass shaped like a tennis ball. It is sold at the Rosé Giardino, an all-pink lounge at Hard Rock Stadium that has become a popular photo stop and draws long lines.

Players sampled the drink on the Players Box podcast. Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk offered largely positive reviews, with Brady the lone dissenter, due to her general dislike of wine. “It’s very good,” Keys said, laughing, as she gave it a 4.5 out of 5. “It’s quite strong… If you drink them during our matches, just like, keep the volume down!”

The Love All joins an expanding set of tournament beverages that now form a meaningful revenue stream. Wimbledon’s Pimm’s Cup and strawberries and cream remain long-standing traditions, but the US Open’s Honey Deuce transformed the idea into a major commercial success. Introduced in 2006 and sold exclusively at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the Honey Deuce is made with Grey Goose vodka, lemonade and raspberry liqueur and topped with honeydew melon balls. Priced at $23 and served in a collectible cup, the drink grew into a significant income source: more than 738,400 Honey Deuces were sold in 2025, generating roughly $17 million in revenue, a 32 percent increase from the previous year driven in part by expanded Fan Week programming.

Other recent additions include the Ace Paloma from Maestro Dobel Tequila, introduced in 2023 and served at multiple events, plus player-inspired cocktails such as the MargAryna with Aryna Sabalenka and the Fritzy Spicy with Taylor Fritz, which debuted at the US Open in 2024. The Charleston Open offers First Serve, Canada’s National Bank Open has The Smash, the Australian Open added the Lemon Ace in 2025, and Indian Wells introduced The Drop Shot earlier this month. Limited-edition cups and branded experiences, amplified by social media, have intensified the appeal of these offerings. With beverage margins often exceeding 90 percent, signature drinks are proving both culturally resonant and commercially powerful for tournaments.

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ATP Masters Miami Open

Tiafoe survives two match points to topple defending champion Mensik in Miami

Tiafoe saved two match points to defeat Jakub Mensik at Miami Open; it was his 250th win. 2026 image

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Frances Tiafoe staged a dramatic escape in the third round of the Miami Open, saving two match points to eliminate defending champion Jakub Mensik. The American prevailed in a match decided by two tiebreaks, winning 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (11) at the Masters 1000 event.

The victory marked a milestone for Tiafoe, registering the 250th win of his professional career. Mensik, the reigning champion, forced a third set and pushed the decider to a tense tiebreak, but Tiafoe held firm when it mattered most and closed out the match.

Scorelines of 7-6 in the opening set and 7-6 in the final set underline how evenly matched the contest was, with Mensik taking the second set 4-6 to stay in contention. Tiafoe’s ability to survive the two match points proved decisive and turned what might have been an early exit for the American into a career landmark.

The result advances Tiafoe deeper into the Miami Open draw and ends Mensik’s title defense in the third round of this Masters 1000 tournament. For Tiafoe, the win will be recorded alongside other career highlights as he moves forward in the 2026 season.

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