French First: Fils Tops Musetti for Barcelona SF Return

By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 17, 2026
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport

Barcelona’s famed red clay didn’t exactly feel like a welcome mat for Arthur Fils in the first round.

Today, Fils found his comfort zone securing a semifinal spot in Barcelona for the second straight year.

Fils defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 to make history as the first Frenchman in the Open Era to reach back-to-back Barcelona semifinals.

Commanding the center of the court with his heavy forehand, Fils fired 17 winners, six more than Musetti, won 11 of 14 second-serve points and did not face a break point defeating the talented Italian for the second time in three meetings.

Back to his very best 👏@ArthurFils passes the Musetti test with flying colors 6-3 6-4 to reach the Barcelona last four!#BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/IFFVYof6J8

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 17, 2026

It is the third semifinal of the season for Fils, who fell to Carlos Alcaraz in the Doha final before reaching the Miami Open final four.

The 21-year-old Fils will play his 13th career Tour-level semifinal tomorrow when he takes on either 19-year-old Spanish wild card Rafael Jodar or seventh-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie.

Earlier, Andrey Rublev defeated Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-3.

The 15th-ranked Rublev reached his 49th career Tour-level semifinal and his first in Barcelona. Rublev converted six of 13 break points to improve to 4-0 in ATP quarterfinals this season.

The fifth-seeded Rublev