ATP Next Gen Finals: Arthur Fils and Medjedovic book semi-finals spot

Arthur Fils has qualified for the semifinal of the ATP Next Gen Finals following a three-straight set victory over his Italian opponent.

Arthur Fils showed his class and top-seed potentials at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals on Thursday when he comfortably defeated Flavio Cobolli 4-1, 4-2, 4-2 in just 59 minutes to reach the semi-finals in Jeddah.

The 19-year-old Frenchman came out firing in all cylinders in his first head to head meeting with Cobolli, outclassing the Italian with his weight and depth of shot to move to a 2-0 lead in Green Group play.

Fils who lifted his maiden tour-level title in Lyon, while reaching the title match in Antwerp celebrated his victory over the Italian with a Cristiano Ronaldo-style pirouette.

“I played very nice today,” said Fils. “I served very good, and I was moving well on the court, so I am very happy about it. Tomorrow I have a good match against a great opponent. He already beat me once this year, so let’s see what I can do.”

Arthur Fils’s victory over Flavio Cobolli sent both him and Dominic Stricker through to the semi-finals after Sticker had earlier defeated Luca Nardi 4-1, 4-1, 4-2 and also having a 2-0 head to head lead against Flavio Cobolli.

Elsewhere, Hamad Medjedovic  completed a perfect 3-0 group campaign to soar into the semi-finals in Jeddah also on Thursday.

The 20-year-old Serbian’s 3-4(6), 4-2, 4-3(5), 4-2 victory against Abdullah Shelbayh earned him a first-place finish in the Red Group and also put Luca Van Assche in the knockout stages ahead of the Arab Shelbayh.

Entering the match, Medjedovic needed to win at least a set to advance to the semis, while the Arab needed a victory in three or four sets.

“It was a great match. I played really good after the first set,” said Medjedovic in his on-court interview. “He’s a good friend of mine, he’s a very good player and obviously the crowd here loves him and I respect that. It was a pleasure to play in front of [the crowd].”

The semi-final stage is now set in Jeddah: As winner of the Red Group, Medjedovic will face Dominic Stricker on Friday. Van Assche, the second-place finisher in the Red Group, will meet Green Group winner Arthur Fils.