Arthur Fils ends 13-year wait for French quarter-finalist at Madrid Open

Arthur Fils is through to the Madrid Open quarter-finals after seeing off Tomas Etcheverry in straight sets.

The Frenchman took down Etcheverry 6-3, 6-4 on the Arantxa Sanchez Stadium court, and with that result, is set to break into the ATP top 20 for the first time in his career.

Since returning from a lengthy injury layoff earlier this year, Fils has made at least the quarter-final stage in six of his seven tournaments. This week has continued that run – he’s dropped just one set so far on his way to the last eight.

There’s also some history to note. By reaching this stage in Madrid, Fils has become the first Frenchman since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2011 to make it this far at the event.

Arthur Fils matches Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s milestone

Fils has become the first French player to reach the quarter-finals in Madrid since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did it back in 2013.

Tsonga, who was ranked world No.5 at the time, got there after wins over Robin Haase and Fernando Verdasco before running into Stan Wawrinka.

Wawrinka came out on top 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 and went on to lose to Rafael Nadal in the final.

The young Frenchman now has a chance to go one better than Tsonga by reaching the semi-finals. Standing in his way is Jiri Lehecka, who knocked out sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti earlier this week.

It’s been an interesting head-to-head so far between Fils and Lehecka. The pair are locked at two wins each, with both meetings this year split evenly.

The first came in Qatar Open quarters where Fils got the win before Lehecka responded with a win of his own during their semi-final clash at Miami Open.

Arthur Fils credits Goran Ivanisevic for progress

Earlier this year, Fils brought in Ivanisevic as his main coach.

The 2001 Wimbledon champion has previously worked with top names like Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Speaking after his win over Etcheverry, Fils detailed how Ivanisevic has helped refine his game.

“The service, the volley… everything,” he said via L’Equipe.

“Trying to go longer down the line at times. Putting more pressure on opponents. He brings so much with his experience. He was an incredible player.”

“He knows when I need to adjust something or when to stay the course. It’s great having him in my corner. He was world number two, but what stands out to me is how he won Wimbledon.”

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