The 100% French shock did not come to an end. The two main French headliners of the tournament competed for a place in the second week of the Australian Open.
Ugo Humbert and Arthur Fils are opponents for the fifth time on the circuit. So far, Messin has won three out of four.
However, it was Fils, victorious in their last confrontation in the Tokyo final at the end of last season, who got off to the best start.
The 20-year-old won the first round. In a match where breaks were sometimes one after another, the older of the two players ended up gaining the upper hand and won the next two sets, although they were tight.
-Reduced by a foot injury, Arthur Fils finally threw in the towel at the start of the fourth set, which sent Humbert to the round of 16 for the first time in his career.
He will face world number 2 Alexander Zverev, who dominated Jacob Fearnley in three sets.
The two men will meet for the fourth time, just a few months after the final of the Masters 1000 at Paris-Bercy won by the German.
