Fils after his victory against Giron at Indian Wells: "There was a kind of false rhythm in the second set"

Arthur Fils has qualified for the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 for the first time in his career. After his wins against Diallo and Musetti, the 20-year-old Frenchman eliminated Marcos Giron (6-2, 2-6, 6-3) and will face Daniil Medvedev in an attempt to reach the semifinals in the California desert. After his victory, Fils expressed satisfaction during the press conference.

"There was a kind of false rhythm in the second set. I think if I had managed to stick to the game plan, I could have broken early. The first game, I lost it, but I told myself I wasn't far off.

After that, I got broken while making quite a few unforced errors. I must have made three or four in that game. When that happens, he relaxes a bit more, plays a bit faster, and I end up chasing the score. That's why in the third set, after the last interruption, I upped the intensity a bit.

It's true that normally, I like to take my time, but here I told myself I needed to bring energy and keep going. Since I was feeling good and the points weren't very long, there was no issue in keeping the momentum.

Keeping the momentum or breaking the opponent's is one of the most important things, and the best players manage to do it. Waiting is part of tennis. I was quite calm during those interruptions, so I didn't lose much energy," Fils told L’Équipe.