Fils conquers Barcelona to signal he is back among the best
Eight months out, two match points saved in round one, his 100th win in the semis, and now a Barcelona title on clay — Fils (No 9) beat Rublev (No 5) 6-2, 7-6 (2) and the comeback has become a title challenge. Doha and Miami were signs. Barcelona is proof.
Arthur Fils, Barcelona 2026 | ©
Arthur Fils, the No 9 seed, won the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell title by defeating Russian Andrey Rublev, the No 5 seed, 6-2, 7-6 (2) on Sunday afternoon, claiming the fourth ATP title of his career and his first since Tokyo in 2024 and his 2025 injury.
The 21-year-old Frenchman controlled the final despite a slow start. Rublev led 2-0 in the opening set but Fils broke back and swept through it 6-2, stripping the Russian’s serve three times with aggressive, heavy-hitting tennis that gave Rublev no rhythm off his forehand.
The second set was tighter – ten non converted break points in total, 3 for Rublev and 7 for Fils. The pair level at 2-2 through a tense opening phase, before Fils broke at 3-2 on his ninth attempt, moved to 4-2, then 5-3. Rublev hauled it back to 6-5, finding the kind of baseline weight that had carried him through the week. Fils did not blink. He won the tiebreak 7-2 and with it the title.
Two match points saved
Twelve months ago none of this seemed likely. A back injury in the spring of 2025 kept Fils off the tour for eight months, and when he returned in February it was with no guarantees about what level he would rediscover. The signs had been building – a final in Doha, a semi-final in Miami, five straight wins in Barcelona – but a title on clay, beating a top-15 opponent in the final without dropping a set, puts the question beyond doubt.
The week had tested him early. In the first round against fellow Frenchman Terence Atmane, Fils saved two match points before edging through 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7). He won every match that followed with increasing authority – Nakashima, Musetti, Jodar – and recorded his 100th tour-level victory along the way. His record now stands at 100-63.
Fils moves to No 25 in the rankings on Monday, a rise of five places that takes him past compatriot Arthur Rinderknech and makes him the French No 1 for the first time since September last year.
For Rublev, the final was his first since Hamburg in May 2025 and his first Barcelona final. His last title came in Doha in February of that year. He rises three places to No 12 on Monday.
