By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, October 21, 2023
Nineteen-year-old Frenchman Arthur Fils stunned top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 7-6(4) to become the youngest Antwerp finalist in history.
Photo credit: Hamburg European Open Facebook
Turning back the teenager’s attack, Stefanos Tsitsipas finally had Arthur Fils right where he wanted: sprinting to the baseline with his back to net.
Unfazed by his predicament, a streaking Fils flicked a tweener a befuddled Tsitsipas could not handle.
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Even he was boxed in, Fils conjured creative solutions stunning the top-seeded Tsitsipas 7-6(5), 7-6(4) to soar into his second career final in Antwerp in style.
Semifinal Saturday was a festive French celebration day.
Shortly after 37-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils made history as the oldest-ever Stockholm finalist, 19-year-old Frenchman Fils made his mark as the youngest tournament finalist in Antwerp history.
Impressively, Fils fought into the final standing up to stress, often beating the two-time major finalist in forehand exchanges and carving out fine volleys to find the finish line.
It is Fils’ second career Top 10 win—he defeated former French Open finalist Casper Ruud on the red clay of Hamburg—and his first Top 10 victory on hard courts.
Lyon champion Fils played bolder, cleaner tennis in both tiebreakers, scoring the early mini break and taking it to Tsitsipas with fine net approaches. Including knocking off a low forehand volley on match point to seal a two-hour triumph.
Running around his backhand to flash forehands into the corners, Fils fired 30 winners—12 more than the top seed—and saved eight of nine break points.
Fils will face world No. 36 Alexander Bublik in tomorrow’s final.
Earlier, the third-seeded Bublik blasted 12 aces and won 35 of 38 first-serve points beating German qualifier Maximilian Marterer 6-4, 6-4.
Bublik saved all five break points he faced in a one hour, 24-minute triumph to advance to his ninth career final, including his sixth hard-court final.
In the first career meeting between sometime practice partners Tsitsipas and Fils, the French teenager showed serious firepower from his forehand and shrewdly repeatedly attacked the Greek’s weaker backhand return wing on the ad side.
Facing break point in the opening game, Fils followed a forehand forward for a volley winner to save it. Fils zapped an ace to help him hold firm in the opening game.
Australian Open finalist Tsitsipas tore through two love holds in his first three service games.
Intensity escalated in the 10th game as Tsitsipas saved a set point standing strong to level at 5-5.
In the ensuing game, Fils fought off a pair of break points navigating the longest service game of the set for 6-5. Tsitsipas stamped his third love hold to force the tiebreaker.
Deadlocked at 4-all, Fils hammered an ace off the T for 5-4.
Proactive play and a willingness to attack the Greek’s damaging forehand saw Fils fire a crosscourt forehand and hit a high forehand volley winner for two more set points at 6-4.
Asserting his own forehand, Tsitsipas blocked a forehand volley to save a second set point.
Showing no trace of nerve, Fils, who was hit with a time violation warning by chair umpire Alison Hughes earlier, calmly kicked a serve out wide, exploited the Greek’s backhand return and rapped a forehand winner down the line sealing the 57-minute opening set with a fail-safe play.
Ruing lost opportunity, Tsitsipas sailed a backhand to cede the opening break to start the second set.
Torching a tremendous running forehand down the line that scalded the sideline helped Fils hold at love stretching his second-set lead to 4-2.
Serving for the final at 5-4, Fils erased a break point pounding the wide serve to the backhand. Staring down a second break point, Fils boldly moved forward and carved out a backhand volley winner to draw even at deuce.
Running around his backhand, Fils whipped the inside-in forehand winner fending off a third break point.
Tsitsipas kept coming and converted his fourth break point of the game to break back and draw even after 10 games.
Throughout this match, from saving break point in the opening game onward, Fils shook off adversity as if it were lint stuck to his shirt.
The teenager threw down a love hold to force the tiebreaker then drew a netted error to earn the immediate mini break.
Fils spun his ninth ace to go up 2-0, eventually extending to 4-1.
In a burst of athleticism, Fils repelled a bolt of a return flicking a backhand dig then transitioning to offense to open up a 5-1 lead.
Credit Tsitsipas for digging in and reeling off three points in a row to move closer at 4-5.
Wisely attacking the Greek’s backhand, Fils again streaked forward forcing a netted backhand pass for double match point.
Not only did Fils impose his heavy forehand against one of the best forehands in the sport at crunch time, he was fearless in front-court play. Drilling a diagonal forehand, Fils leaned low for a forehand volley winner closing a superb win hurling a right hand in the air.
"Humble and hungry," Fils wrote on the court-side camera afterward. Here's hoping for shotmakers' feast in the final.