Arthur Fils defeated Andrey Rublev, 6-2, 7-6, in the final of the Barcelona Open.
The Frenchman won his first title since 2024 in style, as he continued his remarkable comeback from injury.
Is Arthur Fils the next best player after Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
His triumph in Barcelona caught the attention of the tennis media, one member of which asked Jannik Sinner the following question ahead of the Madrid Open.
“Arthur Fils is playing better and better, right now. Do you see him as a potential rival?” the reporter asked…
Jannik Sinner says Arthur Fils is someone to look out for on clay
“Yeah, I mean he is playing incredible tennis, very focused on what he has to do,” said Sinner.
“Physically he is very strong, and he for sure, is showing very, very good consistency, all around: hard court, clay-court…
“Winning now in Barcelona will give him a lot of confidence to play well here, in Rome, and also Paris with the French crowd.
“But I’m happy for France, France needs players like Arthur, so let’s see in the future, but he is for sure, someone to look out for.”
After an excellent 2024 season and a strong start to 2025, Fils suffered a back injury that kept him out of action for over six months.
Missing the Australian Open, Fils returned in February and found his footing almost immediately.
Arthur Fils’ results since returning from injury
- 2026 Open Occitanie – Quarter-finals (Lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime)
- 2026 Rotterdam Open – First round (Lost to Alex de Minaur)
- 2026 Qatar Open – Final (Lost to Carlos Alcaraz)
- 2026 Indian Wells – Quarter-finals (Lost to Alexander Zverev)
- 2026 Miami Open – Semi-finals (Lost to Jiri Lehecka)
- 2026 Barcelona Open – Champion
Fils has been one of the best players in men’s tennis this year, and his position in the ‘Live ATP Race’ reflects that.
2026 ‘Live ATP Race’
| Rank | Name | Country | 2026 Points | 2026 Titles |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 3,910 | 3 (Indian Wells, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters) |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 3,650 | 2 (Australian Open, Qatar Open) |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 2,300 | – |
| 4 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 1,720 | 2 (Brisbane International, Dubai Tennis Championships) |
| 5 | Ben Shelton | USA | 1,570 | 2 (Dallas Open, Munich Open) |
| 6 | Arthur Fils | France | 1,490 | 1 (Barcelona Open) |
| 7 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 1,400 | – |
| 8 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 1,305 | 1 (Rotterdam Open) |
| 9 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 1,175 | 1 (Open Occitanie) |
| 10 | Flavio Cobolli | Italy | 1,080 | 1 (Mexican Open) |
Only five players: Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Ben Shelton, have accumulated more points in 2026 than Fils.
A mightily impressive feat considering Fils missed the first month of the year.
Heading into Madrid, the 21-year-old sits sixth in the ‘Live ATP Race to Turin’, on course to qualify for his first ATP Finals.
He won’t be thinking about Turin just yet, though, as he has a job to do in the Spanish capital.
With Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic skipping the Madrid Open, Fils now has a real chance to win his maiden Masters 1000 title.
Is Arthur Fils the second favourite to win the Madrid Open?
Sinner is the clear favourite to win the Madrid Open, but the second favourite is certainly up for debate.
The likes of Zverev, Shelton, and Lorenzo Musetti all come to mind, although Fils is worth a mention, too.
If the Frenchman can perform as well as he did in Barcelona, there’s no reason why he can’t challenge for the title.
But how has the draw treated Fils and when could he meet Sinner?
Arthur Fils’ Madrid Open draw
| Round | Highest-ranked potential opponent | Potential seeded opponents |
| 1R (Bye) | – | – |
| 2R | Adrian Mannarino (46) | – |
| 3R | Valentin Vacherot (17) | [15] Valentin Vacherot |
| 4R | Ben Shelton (6) | [4] Ben Shelton, [25] Tomas Martin Etcheverry |
| QF | Lorenzo Musetti (9) | [6] Lorenzo Musetti, [11] Jiri Lehecka, [29] Tallon Griekspoor, [33] Alex Michelsen |
| SF | Jannik Sinner (1) | [1] Jannik Sinner, [5] Alex de Minaur, [9] Andrey Rublev, [15] Tommy Paul, [19] Cameron Norrie, [22] Arthur Rinderknech, [27] Joao Fonseca, [32] Gabriel Diallo |
| F | Alexander Zverev (3) | [2] Alexander Zverev, [3] Felix Auger-Aliassime, [7] Daniil Medvedev, [8] Alexander Bublik, [10] Flavio Cobolli, [12] Casper Ruud, [13] Karen Khachanov, [16] Francisco Cerundolo, [17] Learner Tien, [18] Luciano Darderi, [20] Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, [23] Jakub Mensik, [26] Corentin Moutet, [28] Brandon Nakashima, [30] Ugo Humbert, [31] Denis Shapovalov |
Fils could play Sinner in the Madrid Open semi-finals.
Sinner and Fils have met once before, in Montpellier, three years ago.
On that occasion, Sinner defeated Fils in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2, to advance to the final.
It remains to be seen if they will face off again in Madrid, but it will certainly be something to look out for.
