"It was the first time" + past perfect or present perfect?

[Millonthefloss]

hi, i have some difficulties with the appropriate tense to use after the pattern:"it was the first time".given that we generally use the past perfect.but in the following sentence it wasn't the case:In last night's final Mark peters defeated Ed Myers in 3 sets."It was the first time" in six attempts that peters has beaten the world champion. till now i haven't a right answer thank you in advance for the whole explanations.

[Mister Micawber]

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There is no necessity for "It was the first time" to be followed by past perfect, though no doubt it is a common occurrence.

I'll always remember June 13th, 1967. It was the first time I tried alcohol.
I'll never forget this morning. It was the first time I have ever won the lottery.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Millonthefloss]

[Mister Micawber]

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No more rule than with other verb forms-- it depends on the time of the action and its relationship to the present (past, present perfect) or to another past action (past perfect). If you do not limit the time frame by using 'was', then we can use other tenses:

This is the first time I have smoked a cigar.
Tomorrow will be the first time I ski.
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_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Millonthefloss]

[Mister Micawber]

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There is no past perfect in your sentence. The present perfect ('has beaten') is used because the truth holds up until now and beatings may continue into the future.
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_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Millonthefloss]

thank you for your answer , nevertheless, i have noticed a rule which works in all examples this one consists in forgetting the expression "it was (is) the first time" in the sentence and put the right tense which follows it according to the rules use of each tense.However, i would like to check the validity of my idea with you.thank you.

[Mister Micawber]

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No, because the tense of the main clause affects the tense of the second also. You cannot, for instance, write "This was the first time I will be sick".
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Hanifasmm]

Which is right out of the two below?
This was the first time I am sick.
This was the first time I was sick.
Er. SM.M.Haniifa

[Mister Micawber]

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That was the first time I have been sick.
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_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Millonthefloss]