Arthur Fils achieved a small feat in Tokyo by eliminating the number 1 seed, Taylor Fritz, in the first round.
A great performance for Arthur Fils! After a frustrating Davis Cup, where he lost a match he had in hand against Bautista Agut before winning his first victory in the competition in a match without stakes against Lehecka, the young Frenchman began his Asian tour this Thursday, on the from Tokyo. And it started strong for him, with a match against the number 1 seed of this ATP 500, Taylor Fritz, finalist of the US Open.
And for his first confrontation against the world No. 7, the No. 24 won with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in 1h59! An achievement that must however be put into perspective because the American was still in Berlin on Sunday evening for the Laver Cup and may not have recovered from jet lag, and was also suffering from pain in his right hip. But this remains a third victory in a Top 10 this season for Arthur Fils, after that against Hubert Hurkacz (withdrawal) at Wimbledon and that against Alexander Zverev in the final in Hamburg.
Another Grand Slam finalist on the program
The start of the match was tight between the two men, who remained tied until 3-3, even if the Frenchman had to save two balls from 3-1. But it was ultimately he who signed the first break of the match, at 3-3 on his third opportunity, thanks to a big return and a missed forehand from Fritz. Son then did not tremble to conclude at 5-4. In the second, which saw the American have his hip massaged after five games, both players held their serve perfectly until 4-3. It was then that Fritz, invigorated by the physiotherapist’s massage, broke the Frenchman on his second opportunity. Not without difficulty, he won the set on his fifth set point, after saving a break point.
The American was again massaged at the end of the set, and held until 3-2 for Son in the third set. Fritz then completely missed his service game, conceding a shutout, and Fils managed to win on his first match point at 5-3. A great victory which will allow him to face another former Grand Slam finalist, Matteo Berrettini (45th), in the round of 16.
Shelton and Rune meet
Also on the program this Thursday, the defending champion and world No. 17 Ben Shelton also passed the first round, beating his compatriot Reilly Opelka in three sets: 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in 1h46. A break at 5-4 in the third set, in the very last game, allowed him to make the difference. It also goes for Holger Rune, world No. 14, who inflicted an eighth defeat in a row on Alejandro Tabilo, 22nd. The Dane, who suffered three defeats in a row, won 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in 2h15 thanks in particular to 10 aces. He also made the difference at the last moment, at 4-4 in the third set.
