Arthur Fils’ fantastic form continued on Wednesday evening with victory over Jiri Lehecka in Madrid.
Fils avenged his loss to the Czech in Miami, defeating the world number 14 6-3, 6-4 in the Manolo Santana Stadium.
Fils, who is the first Frenchman in tournament history to reach the Madrid Open semi-finals, will now play Jannik Sinner in the last four.
Is Arthur Fils the next best player after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Ahead of his clash with the world number one, Fils discussed his status as an ‘underdog.’
Arthur Fils previews his contest with Jannik Sinner
“That’s a good battle. I mean, the name Sinner and Fils I think is pretty good, especially on clay,” Fils said during his post-match interview after beating Lehecka.
“He’s the world number one, he’s a huge champion.
“I mean, he’s won what? Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo? [laughing].
“I’m going to try my best, I’m going to try to play my best tennis, just enjoy myself on the court. It’s nice to come on the court as an underdog, so it’s going to be funny.”
During his post-match press conference, Fils expanded upon his comments.
Arthur Fils’ run in Madrid
- Round one: BYE
- Round two: defeated Ignacio Buse 6-7, 7-6, 7-5
- Round three: defeated Emilio Nava 7-6, 6-3
- Round four: defeated Tomas Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4
- Quarter-finals: defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-3, 6-4
- Semi-finals: Jannik Sinner
“Well, I didn’t lose a match on clay,” he told reporters in Madrid. He didn’t lose a match on clay and on hard court since a long time.
“So I think it’s going to be pretty good. He has a lot of confidence. I have a lot of confidence.
“So I hope it’s going to be a good battle, and I just look forward to play.”
Fils will certainly need to play at his best to defeat Sinner on Friday. The Italian has been in imperious form, winning his past three ATP Tour events in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.
Sinner also has extra motivation going into tomorrow’s match: he is aiming to become the first player in tennis history to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
Arthur Fils first match against Jannik Sinner
Three years ago, Fils and Sinner contested their first-ever match on the ATP Tour in the Montpellier Open semi-finals.
Sinner, the second seed, defeated compatriot Lorenzo Sonego on his way to the semi-final stage. Fils, a wildcard, defeated Richard Gasquet, Roberto Bautista Agut and Quentin Halys.
Sinner emerged victorious in their semi-final clash, winning 7-5, 6-2.
“I am very happy to be in my first final of the season,” Sinner said in his on-court interview, as reported by the ATP Tour.
“We practised very hard to play some big matches. It doesn’t matter what kind of tournament, every tournament when you go far is very good. I am very happy to be in the final here.”
“He [Fils] beat incredible players at this tournament so I knew I had to play at a very high level today,” Sinner added. “He is very strong and has great groundstrokes. Maybe I had a bit of experience on him in the first set and I got a bit lucky.”
Sinner went on to win the title, defeating Maxime Cressy in the final.
