Jannik Sinner defeated Arthur Fils, 6-2, 6-4, in the Madrid Open semi-finals.
The Italian proved too strong for Fils, advancing to his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 final.
Fils didn’t play poorly, but wasn’t close to challenging the world number one.
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After the match, former doubles star Colin Fleming suggested what Fils should do next.
Colin Fleming tells Arthur Fils to improve his serve, return and backhand after Jannik Sinner defeat
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Fleming had some advice for the young Frenchman.
“He [Jannik Sinner] really has shown the gap between someone like himself and [Arthur] Fils,” he said.
“[Carlos] Alcaraz showed it when he played Fils in the Doha final.
- 2026 Qatar Open final – Carlos Alcaraz defeated Arthur Fils, 6-2, 6-1
“Fils should not be disheartened.
“He should go away and analyse these matches in depth with his team, and go, okay, these are the three or four things where I need to make the big improvements.
“For me, that’s the serve, return, backhand could do with a bit more variety there, but he has elements he can compete [with].
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“If he can tune these other bits in a way like Sinner has done, then he can get there, but right now there is a gap.”
Fils won just 48% of his second serve points against Sinner in the Madrid Open semi-finals.
If he wants to beat players of Alcaraz and Sinner’s quality, those numbers must improve.
Jannik Sinner vs Arthur Fils – Match stats
| Stats | Jannik Sinner | Arthur Fils |
| Aces | 4 | 3 |
| Double faults | 1 | 2 |
| 1st Serve % | 52% | 49% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 88% | 70% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 71% | 48% |
| Break points | 3/6 | 0/0 |
Fleming continued, highlighting just how impressive Sinner was against Fils.
“That was a remarkable performance,” he said.
“First set in particular, and the second set, it felt like he just managed the set.
“Fils improved, maybe he figured out a couple of things, but I always felt Sinner had it where he wanted it.
“He took care of his own serve, and you felt that when he had his chance, he would take it, which is exactly what he did with that stunning backhand down the line.
“That is what he does.
“He is world number one, and that is what he does.”
ATP World Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Last 10 matches |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 14,000 | 10-0 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,960 | 7-3 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,555 | 8-2 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 4,700 | 8-2 |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,050 | 6-4 |
Sinner is a class above and will be the clear favourite when he returns to take on either Alexander Zverev or Alexander Blockx in the Madrid Open final.
Arthur Fils continues impressive form despite Madrid Open semi-final defeat
When Fils returned from a six-month injury lay-off in February, even he wouldn’t have expected to perform this well.
Since returning, the 21-year-old has played seven tournaments, only failing to reach the quarter-finals once.
Arthur Fils’ results since returning
- Open Occitanie – Lost in QF to Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Rotterdam Open – Lost in 1R to Alex de Minaur
- Qatar Open – Lost in F to Carlos Alcaraz
- Indian Wells – Lost in QF to Alexander Zverev
- Miami Open – Lost in SF to Jiri Lehecka
- Barcelona Open – Champion
- Madrid Open – Lost in SF to Jannik Sinner
Those performances have sent Fils into the top eight of the ‘Live ATP Race to Turin’.
Live ATP Race to Turin
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 4,550 |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 3,650 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 2,690 |
| 4 | Arthur Fils | France | 1,880 |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 1,810 |
| 6 | Ben Shelton | USA | 1,570 |
| 7 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 1,400 |
| 8 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 1,305 |
| 9 | Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 1,270 |
| 10 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 1,215 |
Five months into the 2026 season (having missed one), Fils is well-positioned to qualify for the ATP Finals.
There is, of course, a lot of tennis to be played between now and November, but if Fils can stay fit and maintain his level, there’s no reason why he can’t make his year-end championships debut in 2026.
Next up is a trip to Rome for the Italian Open, which begins on Tuesday, May 5.
