By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday March 26, 2026
20-year-old Arthur Fils edged past top-seeded Alexander Zverev to reach the Miami quarterfinals.
Photo Source: TTV
When it was announced the World No.1 Jannik Sinner would be suspended for three months there was an opportunity for Alexander Zverev to reach the No.1 ranking. It doesn’t look like he’ll get there.
Zverev failed to back up his seed once again in Miami – he lost his first match at Indian Wells to Tallon Griekspoor – as he fell to France’s Arthur Fils, 3-6 6-3 6-4 in round of 16 action on Wednesday in Miami.
Zverev’s loss is Fils’ gain.
The talented 20-year-old becomes the first Frenchman to reach the quarterfinals at Indian Wells and Miami in the same season since Gael Monfils, and he’s just the third man from France to ever do the trick.
Now up to 15 in the ATP live rankings, Fils used all-out aggression to turn the match around against Zverev. He took on risk and landed many big blows as he hit 25 winners to just 13 for Zverev and earned his biggest career win against the World No.2.
Fils has now won 11 of his last 15 against Top 20 players. He’ll face 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals on Friday in Miami.
“It is always nice when you play against the best in the world,” Fils said. “You have to be ready, have to play your best. That's what I like: to play on the big stadium against the best players of the world. For now I'm doing it pretty good.”
Fils was cursing mad after losing the opening set – literally – as he turned to his box and released a trail of expletives when he explained the pain he was feeling in his back.
He took a medical timeout between sets and came back determined not to let it bother him.
He doubled down on that aggression when he fell behind 3-1 in the decider. Fils won five of the final six games to leave Zverev shaking his head. It’s a sign of the charismatic Frenchman's ability to deliver the biggest and best tennis when he’s against the ropes.
“In the third set I thought it was over, at 1-3 and with him serving great,” said Fils. “I just said, ‘Okay, don’t get mad. Just try to play as much as you can and try to fight, and if you get a break, it’s nice’. It happened, so what can I say.”