Titled in Bordeaux, Fils reassures himself before Roland-Garros

Arthur Fils is finally back on the winning track. After a slow start to the season, he hadn't won a match since Barcelona. After an excellent performance in Catalonia, where he knocked out Alex De Minaur, the French player was eliminated from the first round in Madrid and Rome. Undeterred by these disappointments, the Frenchman decided to bounce back straight away.

Taking advantage of his early elimination in Italy, the 34th player in the world headed for Bordeaux, where a Challenger 175 was being played this week. Seeded number 1 for the event, the French hopeful held his own perfectly. After logical victories over Van de Zandschulp, Kokkinakis and Barrere, Fils produced a match of the highest quality in the final. Facing Pedro Martinez (51st), a player who had surprised him in March (in Santiago, 6-3, 6-7, 6-2), the 1.85m player made no bones about it. Taking advantage of his opponent's average start, he largely dominated proceedings, winning in less than 1h30 (6-2, 6-3).

In terms of timing, it couldn't have been better. With his title already secured, he will arrive in Paris with much greater confidence than expected, and could well take advantage of his top-seeded status to advance several rounds. Can the 19-year-old Frenchman even dream of qualifying for the second week?