Matching Report
Zverev passed the test of Fils in Paris epic
The German is chasing his second Masters 1000 crown of the season
October 31, 2024
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev defeated Arthur Fils on Thursday in Paris.
Written by Sam Jacot
Alexander Zverev ended the run of French star Arthur Fils in front of an electric crowd at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday afternoon.
Backed by an impressive home support on Court Central, Fils produced a strong performance and troubled the German with his dynamic game in the big clash. However, under pressure, the 20-year-old lost in the decider, with World No.
“I’m glad I stayed there today. It was a great match,” Zverev said after going up 3-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Fils. “He’s a great player and he’s improved a lot this year. I’m looking forward to the few fights we have.”
Zverev fired 16 aces and saved three break points as he set up a 5-3 lead. The German, who earned a decisive break of the third set in the fourth game, raised his arms high after the victory, silencing Fils and the French crowd in time.
“The atmosphere here is louder than at Roland Garros. It’s crazy,” Zverev said. “It feels like the court is smaller and the crowd is on top of you. It’s like a house atmosphere again. It’s something we don’t get a lot on Tour but I love it. I love playing in Paris. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world to play for the crowd.
Then it was GUTSY 😤
No. 3 seeds @AlexZverev advanced to the 31st quarter-final of the Masters 1000 by edging past home hope Fils in a thrilling contest! #RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/R2PF71toBg
– ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2024
In his 31st ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and sixth in 2024, Zverev will look to continue his run when he meets Nitto ATP Finals hopeful Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight. Tsitsipas, who is ranked 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, leads Zverev 10-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Zverev is 63-20 this season, highlighted by his Masters 1000 title in Rome. The 27-year-old, who reached the final in Paris in 2020, will finish his season next month at the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held from November 10-17.
The 20-year-old Fils was in the third round of the Masters 1000 tournament for the first time. The powerful Frenchman, who is number one in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, claimed wins over Marin Cilic and Jan-Lennard Struff earlier this week. However, the Hamburg and Tokyo champion could not find a way past Zverev, who held firm as he worked his way to victory after two hours and eight minutes.
In other action, Karen Khachanov outlasted Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (5), 6-4. Khachanov has fond memories of Paris, lifting his only Masters 1000 trophy at the hard court event in 2018. World No. 21 will next meet Grigor Dimitrov or Arthur Rinderknech.
