First Masters 1000 Quarterfinal for Fils, Defeats Giron at Indian Wells
French tennis will indeed have a representative in the quarterfinals of the season's first Masters 1000 at Indian Wells. That representative is Arthur Fils. The 20-year-old Frenchman was the favorite in his match against Marcos Giron, but it wasn’t easy on a rainy day that disrupted nearly all the matches.
Facing Giron for the first time, Fils knew he would have to work hard. His opponent had already eliminated Casper Ruud, the tournament’s fourth seed, and Alexei Popyrin, last summer’s Canadian Open champion, both times in three sets.
Confident and with no pressure, the 31-year-old, ranked 48th in the world, stepped onto the court for this round of 16 match. Fils got off to the best start, breaking early in the first set and holding his serves. With another perfectly executed return game, he comfortably closed out the first set.
However, as he has shown multiple times this week, Giron has character and quickly found an opening on the Frenchman’s serve. Despite an initial rebreak, Fils saw his opponent gain momentum, and a third set was needed to decide the match.
In the end, it was Arthur Fils who held his nerve. After a solid performance (27 winners, 4 aces, 5 breaks, and 3 break points saved), the Frenchman ultimately prevailed in under two hours (6-2, 2-6, 6-3) and secured his first-ever Masters 1000 quarterfinal in his young career.
After defeating Gabriel Diallo and Lorenzo Musetti (saving a match point in the process), Fils claimed his third consecutive victory in California. However, the level of competition will rise in the next round as he faces the reigning double finalist, Daniil Medvedev.
