Arthur Fils landed at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM as the top seed, a favorite status that has not slowed down on the Jeddah court.
The Frenchman clearly surpassed Flavio Cobolli this Wednesday, spending just 60 minutes to break the Italian’s resistance (4-1, 4-2, 4-2), remain undefeated in the season’s finale event (2-0) and rise to the top to the leader of the Green Group at the King Abdullah Sports City.
With absolute physical display, Fils managed to take advantage of his opponent’s doubts on his serve. A timid 49% of first serves by Cobolli was an invitation for the Frenchman’s attack, who launched himself from the baseline with full conviction. The Frenchman, who did not suffer a break until the third set, turned the match into a constant dominance towards victory.
“I played a great game today,” Fils said. “I served really well and I moved well on the court. I’m very happy. Tomorrow I have an interesting match against a great rival. They’ve already beaten me once this year, we’ll see what happens.”
Fils will seek a place in the semifinals this Thursday facing the Swiss Dominic Stricker, with the certainty that a victory would allow them to advance as first in the group. For his part, Cobolli will complete the group stage in a stellar duel against his compatriot Luca Nardi. All players retain qualification options on the last day of the round robin.
Arthur competes this week in Jeddah after having a breakout season on the circuit. The Frenchman, who climbed to the best position of his career as world No. 36, debuted his ATP Tour record in Lyon, won his first Grand Slam final draw match at the US Open and had great indoor performances, with the semi-finals in Montpellier, Marseille and the final in Antwerp as great indoor endorsements.
Did you know…?
Arthur Fils was one of three players capable of lifting an ATP Tour trophy in 2023 before turning 20. The Frenchman, crowned on the clay of Lyon, joined the feats of the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz (Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona) and the Dane Holger Rune (Munich).
Source: https://www.atptour.com/es/news/jeddah-2023-fils-cobolli-miercoles
