Arthur Fils reaches the Madrid semi-finals, with Sinner waiting in the wings
Arthur Fils got his payback. A month after Jiri Lehecka had knocked him out in Miami in his first Masters 1000 semi-final, the Frenchman came through in style this time, beating the Czech 6-3, 6-4 in Madrid on Wednesday without ever really looking troubled. It sends him into the last four of a tournament at this level for only the second time in his career. And waiting there is no ordinary opponent: Jannik Sinner, the world number one, unbeaten on clay since the start of the season.
With compatriot Aurélien Tchouameni in the stands, Fils produced a composed, convincing display. In the first set, he needed just one break point to make the difference, landing plenty of weight and venom on his shots. Lehecka, clearly less comfortable on clay than he had been on Miami’s hard courts, struggled badly. Fils hurt him with his punchy hitting, including two forehand winners to open the third game. He hit a rough patch at 4-2, slipping to 0-30 on serve, but dug out an ace and a fine first delivery to reset and get through a bruising hold.
The second set was tighter. Lehecka found more in the rallies and was a greater threat on serve. But at 3-3, the Czech tried a serve-and-volley on second serve to save his game, a sign he was running out of ideas. Fils was ready for it, and his pass at the feet gave him the break, which he backed up with a love hold. A winning backhand finished the job.
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Fils meets Sinner in a mouthwatering clay-court clash at the top
Fils will now face Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals, the man who lifted the title in Monte-Carlo before adding four more wins in Madrid. For his part, the Frenchman arrives in Spain fresh off a title in Barcelona, his first trophy of the clay season. Two unbeaten men on the surface battling for a place in the final. It has all the makings of a proper heavyweight contest.
The last time Fils ran into a world number one was against Carlos Alcaraz in Doha. He was given a harsh lesson that day, going down 6-2, 6-1 in barely 50 minutes. Two months on, the picture is very different. Arthur Fils has blown his season back to life after a stress fracture in his back forced him to miss the start of the campaign. Barcelona first, Madrid next: the form is there, and so is the belief.
Against Sinner, Fils gets a real measure of where he stands against the best in the business. The world number one remains the benchmark on clay this season, but the Frenchman is not turning up as cannon fodder. He arrives in form, riding the momentum of back-to-back titles and a level that has caught the eye for weeks. The answer comes on Thursday in Madrid.
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