Arthur Fils says he’s ‘fully back’ after crushing Stefanos Tsitsipas in Miami

Arthur Fils stuns Stefanos Tsitsipas with career-worst loss at Miami Open

Arthur Fils handed Stefanos Tsitsipas the heaviest defeat of his career in the third round of the Miami Open.

Tsitsipas, who knocked out fifth seed Alex de Minaur on Saturday, was dominated by Fils in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1.

Wrapping up the match with a bagel and a breadstick in just 55 minutes, the Frenchman advanced to the fourth round, where he will face Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot.

The 28th seed at this year’s Miami Open, previously ranked 14th in the world, is slowly but surely getting back to his best, which he emphasised after the match.

Arthur Fils responds to Stefanos Tsitsipas’ win in Miami

Speaking after the win, Fils told reporters: “That’s one of the best matches I’ve ever played.

“I have played some great matches before, but this level was insane. I don’t know what to say, but very happy with the performance”.

“I am fully back,” claimed the three-time ATP champion. “It feels like I never left. It feels very, very good.”

Fils has now collected nine wins and four losses since returning from his back injury in February.

The Frenchman then reached the quarter-finals of Indian Wells, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime along the way. The latest ATP Rankings saw Fils jump two places, climbing from 30th to 28th following an impressive first quarter of 2024.

Arthur Fils achieves an incredible feat with a win

Fils’s performance saw him concede just one game on the way to victory. According to Opta Ace, only David Goffin and Alex De Minaur have dropped fewer games en route to a win over an ATP Masters 1000 champion.

Goffin beat Tomas Berdych, the former Paris Masters winner, 6-0, 6-0 at the Italian Open in 2016. De Minaur also won a match without losing a game at last year’s Monte-Carlo Masters against Grigor Dimitrov.

Fils has never faced his next opponent, Vacherot, at the tour level before. Their upcoming match will be their first meeting, with a quarter-final spot on the line.

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