Arthur Fils heckled but strong against Cilic to start Paris-Bercy!
Arthur Fils didn't miss his reunion with the French fans on Tuesday. Facing Marin Cilic, former world No. 3 and winner of the 2014 US Open, he won in an hour and a half (7-6, 6-4) on Centre Court. In the second round, he will face Lorenzo Musetti's loser, Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff.
It wasn't all plain sailing for Fils, however. Cilic was the first to break, in the 11th game of the match (5-6), and then served to win the 1st set. But the Frenchman held firm to come back at 6-6 and win the tie-break in the process.
In the second set, Fils carried on his momentum to take the lead (4-0) thanks to his maximum efficiency on break points (3 out of 3 converted). He then resisted the Croatian's comeback well (4-3) and concluded with authority, winning a white game on his serve.
He will start as the favorite against Struff, before potentially facing Alexander Zverev in the Round of 16.