Jannik Sinner defeated Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4, to reach the Madrid Open final.
Neither player had lost a clay-court match this year before their clash in the Spanish capital, but it was Sinner who maintained his unbeaten record.
Not for the first time this year, Fils fell well short of beating one of the sport’s best players.
Will Jannik Sinner go unbeaten on clay this year?
He's 10-0 and into the Madrid Open final…
After the match, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli highlighted the mistake Fils made.
Marion Bartoli believes Arthur Fils went ‘too fast too soon’ against Jannik Sinner
During Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Bartoli delivered her verdict on Fils’ defeat to Sinner.
“It was a bit of a repeat of the Doha final against Carlos Alcaraz, where he goes too fast too soon,” she said.
Matches Arthur Fils has lost in 2026
| Match | Opponent | Score | Sets won | Games won |
| Open Occitanie – QF | Felix Auger-Aliassime | 6-4, 6-2 | 0 | 6 |
| Rotterdam Open – 1R | Alex de Minaur | 7-6, 6-2 | 0 | 8 |
| Qatar Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-2, 6-1 | 0 | 3 |
| Indian Wells – QF | Alexander Zverev | 6-2, 6-3 | 0 | 5 |
| Miami Open – SF | Jiri Lehecka | 6-2, 6-2 | 0 | 4 |
| Madrid Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | 6-2, 6-4 | 0 | 6 |
“You feel he is not used to that pace, that rush.
“You feel like he was on the back foot almost constantly for the first 25 minutes.
“And on that surface and court, it just goes everywhere, and then on top of that, you are feeling the pressure of your opponent, who frankly does not give you anything.
“It is difficult.”
Former British tennis star Colin Fleming shared his thoughts on what went wrong for Fils.
“I felt a bit like Fils tried a little bit too hard,” he said.
“It was like he was overplaying on that forehand; he didn’t bring that strength.
“You have to bring your strength to the table, so maybe with more matches, just relax a little bit playing these guys and bring your strengths to the table.”
Bartoli does, however, believe Fils will learn from his defeat to the world number one.
“He bounced back from that final loss in Doha. I do believe he will use this to play better at Roland Garros,” she said.
“That is how you improve.
“I remember facing Serena [Williams], and you get absolutely killed on court, but you go back to the drawing board and decide you need to improve this and that, and next time you try to get a little closer, and that’s how eventually, in two or three years time, we might have something a little closer.
“But right now, the gap between Sinner and Alcaraz and the rest of the field is enormous.”
The gap between Sinner/Alcaraz and the rest of the field is highlighted clearly by their lead in the ATP rankings.
Live ATP Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Points | Gap to #1 |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 14,000 | – |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 12,960 | 1,040 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 5,555 | 8,445 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Spain | 4,700 | 9,300 |
| 5 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 4,050 | 9,950 |
If Sinner wins the Madrid Open final on Sunday, he will open up a 10,000+ point gap to Felix Auger-Aliassime, the world number five.
A simply remarkable achievement.
Numbers like those explain why Alcaraz and Sinner have established themselves as dominant forces in the sport.
What’s next for Arthur Fils after Madrid Open defeat?
Fils will return to action at next week’s Italian Open.
The 21-year-old reached the fourth round of the Italian Open last year, defeating Tallon Griekspoor and Stefanos Tsitsipas, before losing to Alexander Zverev.
He will be confident of making a deeper run in 2026, and may even have his sights set on winning the title.
Sinner won’t want to withdraw from his home event, but there is a chance he skips Rome to ensure he is fully fit for the French Open, where he can complete his Career Grand Slam.
If Sinner is out of the picture, Fils will be in with a great chance of winning his first Masters 1000 title.
Which ATP youngster will win a Masters 1000 title first?
Joao Fonseca, Rafael Jodar, Arthur Fils, or Alexander Blockx…
The Frenchman has been one of the most consistent performers at the Masters 1000 level recently, as he threatens to break through and pick up his maiden title.
Arthur Fils at Masters 1000 events since 2025
- 2025 Indian Wells – QF
- 2025 Miami Open – QF
- 2025 Monte Carlo Masters – QF
- 2025 Madrid Open – 2R
- 2025 Italian Open – 4R
- 2025 Canadian Open – 3R
- 2026 Indian Wells – QF
- 2026 Miami Open – SF
- 2026 Madrid Open – SF
Only time will tell if Fils can win the Italian Open later this month, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
The 2026 Italian Open begins on Tuesday, May 5.
