It doesn’t stop anymore. Already present in the semi-finals in Montpellier, his first on the ATP circuit, Arthur Fils is again at the rendezvous of the last four in Marseille two weeks later.
The 18-year-old Frenchman put the forms against a Stan Wawrinka a hair inside (6-2, 6-3) to be once again the sensation of the tournament. In Montpellier, he had come up against Jannik Sinner, future winner, at this stage of the competition. This time, he will try to pass the course against Benjamin Bonzi or Alex de Minaur.
The tricolor hope impressed in the content. Very calm and poised, he managed without flinching his only alert of the meeting, when he had to save three break points in his first service game. Two powerful firsts, in particular, allowed him to get out of this bad situation. The follow-up was quick and without hesitation. Ultra focused, very precise, never close to igniting, Fils recited his aggressive and inspired tennis to perfection to register five games in a row and take off in this first set.
The Top 100 in the viewfinder
He took control at the start of the second set by once again breaking the Swiss who never seemed to be fully in the game. Author of numerous unforced errors, he suffered the onslaught of the Frenchman who managed to never leave an opening. And he managed to conclude on his opponent’s service on his sixth match point with a sober celebration punctuated by a look at his clan.
However, inside, it must be boiling. In Marseille, Fils was already the first of his generation (2004) to reach the semi-finals of an ATP tournament. Sunday, he could be the first to play a final if he wins on Saturday. This qualification would also precipitate him into the Top 100. Just to continue his ascent.
