Fils misses the boat at the US Open
Big disappointment for Arthur Fils.
The 20-year-old right-hander is as unpredictable as ever. After reaching the last 16 at Wimbledon and winning the title in Hamburg, Fils has had a very tough time of it.
After arriving in New York with 3 defeats in 4 matches, the French prodigy was fortunate enough to benefit from an opening draw that was well within his grasp.
Playing against the modest Tien, 191st and invited by the organizers, he had already needed more than 2 hours of play to get through the first round (6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2).
On Thursday, his opponent still seemed well within his reach. Facing Gabriel Diallo, 22 years old and a qualifier, Fils gave too much, particularly on the important points.
Lacking percussion both on his serve and in his game, he finally succumbed to the Canadian's ardor, losing after almost 3h30 of play (7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4).