"I Expected a Real Battle," Fils Dominates Carreño Busta in His Return After Two-Month Absence

Two months after playing his last match on the main tour in the second round of Roland-Garros against Jaume Munar, Arthur Fils made his return at the Toronto Masters 1000.

The Frenchman, seeded 15th, faced Pablo Carreño Busta, ranked 93rd in the world and a former champion in Canada three years ago. The Spaniard had previously defeated Canadian player Liam Draxl (2-6, 6-4, 6-4) and hoped to overcome Fils.

Last April, in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament in Barcelona, Fils had gotten the better of Carreño Busta, and the same logic held true this time. Solid on his serves, the 21-year-old player—who committed 39 unforced errors—secured a straight-sets victory (6-3, 6-4), reassuring himself after missing the entire grass season.

In the next round, he will face Jiri Lehecka, who defeated Mackenzie McDonald (7-6, 6-4) and had also suffered from a stress fracture in his back last year. After his win, Fils shared his thoughts in a press conference about his performance.

"Under these conditions, I think the level was very good. I expected a real battle because he’s been a top 10 player, and I’m very happy with how I played. The most important thing was staying really focused—we talked about it with my team.

"Whether I win or lose isn’t the biggest deal, but it’s the focus that will help me get back to my level as quickly as possible. My body is a bit tired, which is normal, but on the court, I felt good.

"We’ll see if I can string matches together. I’ll try to recover well with my team for the next round. Honestly, I didn’t expect to serve this well because we only practiced serves for four or five days. It’s hard to explain," Fils told L’Équipe in recent hours.