Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Sebastian Baez Preview & Prediction | 2026 Australian Open | First Round

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Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard faces Sebastian Baez in the first-round of the Australian Open.

Start date/time:

Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN

How to watch online: UK – discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Sebastian Baez ticket information

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Sebastian Baez prediction

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard has made encouraging progress in the lead up to the Australian Open, with back-to-back quarter-finals in his first two events of the season. The big serving Frenchman struggled to make an impact on the tour in 2025, but he began the year with a victories over Tommy Paul and Rinky Hijikata to make the last eight in Brisbane, where he would lose to Aleksandar Kovacevic. He picked up two more wins in Auckland against Roberto Bautista Agut and Cameron Norrie, and he’ll be hopeful of making a deep run in Melbourne.

However, he has a tough task in round one as he faces in-form Sebastian Baez. Despite a worrying second half of last season, the Argentine has made a stunning start to this campaign, with seven wins from eight. He won all three of his matches at the United Cup for Argentina, including a win over Taylor Fritz. Baez then picked up another four victories in Auckland to make it through to just his second ATP final on a hard court. His run would end against Jakub Mensik.

Both players will be confident of pulling off a victory. Mpetshi Perricard’s huge first serve is likely to provide him with plenty of free points, but Baez cannot be counted out after an amazing start to the campaign. 

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs Sebastian Baez tip: Over 3.5 sets