Fils after his victory against Bautista Agut: “I didn’t expect to win in two sets”

Arthur Fils has truly announced his arrival on the public stage at Montpellier, dominating Richard Gasquet and Roberto Bautista Agut. The teenager, although confident in his abilities, remains surprised by the way he obtained these results

Arthur Fils (JB Autissier, Panoramic)

Robin Wolff

February 9, 2023

In his match against Roberto Bautista Agut, Arthur Fils bossed the court. At 18 years old, he obtained the most significant victory of his career so far against the player ranked 24th in the world. More than the result, the manner was impressive. Laurent Raymond’s protégé dictated the game and won in two sets 6-3, 6-4 without ever really looking like he was in trouble.

“I didn’t expect to win in two sets without overplaying,” said Fils in the post-match press conference. “I followed the tactics by being calm and collected and I come out of it winning in two sets and, even though it was very difficult, without stressing too much.”

C'est la plue belle victoire de sa carrière ✨

Retour sur l'exploit d'Arthur Fils face à Roberto Bautista-Agut hier à l'@opensuddefrance pic.twitter.com/F2ctMQhCOX
— We Are Tennis France (@WeAreTennisFR) February 9, 2023

He arrived on court with a clear tactic in mind that he followed to the letter.

“I knew I was going to hit a lot of balls, I didn’t need to get excited, I managed to do it and I’m happy with that. I knew I had to hold the rallies, that I wasn’t afraid of the physical and mental battle, I went out there without apprehension. In the end, I don’t think he made a lot of mistakes during the match but he made a lot of short balls and I attacked.”

A newfound communion with the watching public

The 163rd-ranked player in the world, who during his match against Richard Gasquet in the first round was whistled at by a crowd that supported his opponent, appeared much more in communion with the spectators in Montpellier on Wednesday.

Arthur Fils and Luca van Assche at Roland-Garros in 2021 (Chryslene Caillaud, Panoramic)

“It’s nice to have tournaments in France, the public helps me a lot, they push me a lot, it helps me to hear the crowd make noise, I went to get them tonight, I hope they were pleased, I was pleased and I hope they will be there on Friday too. “

On Friday, the young Frenchman will face the winner of the match between Quentin Halys and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

“No, I don’t have a preference” he answered to a question about his future opponent. “I know Quentin (Halys) better than Davidovich (Fokina), I’ve already played him once but I won’t be apprehensive, I’ll take whoever comes and we’ll see.”

In March 2022, Halys won 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 at the Turin Challenger but since then, Fils has moved up almost 500 spots in the ATP rankings.