“I didn’t expect to serve this well”: Arthur Fils confirms strong return in Toronto

Arthur Fils had not played a match since his hard-fought first-round win over Jaume Munar at Roland-Garros, after which he withdrew due to a back injury. But his return to the tour has been successful so far: under the lights at the Aviva Centre, the 15th seed defeated Pablo Carreño Busta — the 2022 champion in Toronto, now ranked No.93 — in a consistent performance, 6-3, 6-4.

Serving to rebuild confidence

Despite tallying 39 unforced errors, Fils remained in control on serve and showed encouraging signs in a department he admitted had barely been practiced. “I didn’t expect to serve this well — we only had four or five days of service training,” he told the French press after the match. “I can’t really explain it.”

Aware that he’s still playing catch-up physically, Fils emphasized the importance of mental focus as he works his way back. “Whether I win or lose isn’t that important right now — it’s the focus that will help me get back to my level,” he said. “The body is a bit tired… but on court I felt pretty good. We’ll see if I can string together a few more matches.”

At just 21 years old, Fils is enjoying the best season of his career. Ranked as high as No.14 in April, he’s captured three ATP titles so far — Lyon 2023, Hamburg and Tokyo in 2024 — and reached multiple quarter-finals and semi-finals at ATP 500 and Masters 1000 events. Even with a lengthy break during the spring, he remains one of the most consistent young players on the tour.

A high-stakes next round

In the third round, Fils will take on 19th seed Jiri Lehecka, another rising player who also overcame a back stress fracture last year and has grown more solid on hard courts. It’s a promising matchup between two members of the new generation, both aiming to make a statement ahead of the US Open.

Fils represents the heart of France’s next-gen hopes. This solid return is a strong message: he’s determined to close the season inside the Top 20 — or even push toward the Top 10 if his momentum continues. With renewed focus on his serve, growing resilience, and still plenty of upside, the best may be yet to come.

Toronto Masters 1000, other second-round results (Aviva Centre, hard, USD 9.193.540, most recent results first):

• Francisco Comesana vs. Alex De Minaur
• Roberto Carballes Baena vs. Taylor Fritz
• Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Christopher O’Connell: wednesday
• Fabian Marozsan beat Felix Auger-Aliassime (21): 6-4, 6-4
• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (20) beat Corentin Moutet: 6-4, 6-3
• Jiri Lehecka beat Mackenzie McDonald: 7-6 (2), 6-4
• Frances Tiafoe (7) beat Yosuke Watanuki (Q): 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5)
• Jakub Mensik (12) beat Tristan Boyer (Q): 6-4, 6-4
• Brandon Nakashima (25) beat Ethan Quinn: 7-6 (6), 6-4
• Gabriel Diallo (27) beat Matteo Gigante (WC): 6-3, 7-6 (5)
• Flavio Cobolli (13) beat Alexis Galarneau (WC): 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
• Lorenzo Sonego (28) beat Yunchaokete Bu: 6-1, 6-4
• Ben Shelton (4) beat Adrian Mannarino (Q): 6-2, 6-3
• Aleksandar Vukic beat Cameron Norrie (31): 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3
• Andrey Rublev (6) beat Hugo Gaston: 6-2, 6-3
• Alexander Zverev (1) beat Adam Walton: 7-6 (6), 6-4
• Matteo Arnaldi (32) beat Tristan Schoolkate (Q): 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
• Reilly Opelka beat Tomas Machac (16): 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-3
• Learner Tien beat Denis Shapovalov (22): 7-6 (4), 7-5
• Daniil Medvedev (10) beat Dalibor Svrcina (LL): 7-6 (3), 6-4
• Nuno Borges (30) beat Facundo Bagnis (Q): 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-2
• Casper Ruud (8) beat Roman Safiullin: 6-3, 6-3
• Francisco Cerundolo (14) beat Jaume Munar: 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4
• Tomas Martin Etcheverry beat Tallon Griekspoor (24): 6-4, 7-6 (4)
• Alexei Popyrin (18) beat Nicolas Arseneault (WC): 7-6 (7), 6-3
• Lorenzo Musetti (3) beat James Duckworth (Q): 7-5, 6-1
• Karen Khachanov (11) beat Juan Pablo Ficovich (Q): 6-4, 6-2
• Alex Michelsen (26) beat Tomas Barrios Vera (Q): 7-6 (7), 6-3
• Holger Rune (5) beat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard: 7-6 (7), 6-3
• Alexandre Muller (29) beat Miomir Kecmanovic: 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
• Emilio Nava (Q) beat Terence Atmane (LL): 6-2, 7-5