May 31, 2024
Arthur Fils defeated Luca Van Assche on Friday in Jebbah and he will be playing Hamad Medjedovic in the ATP Next Gen’s final on Saturday.
The top-seeded 19-year-old, who has been unbeaten in the competition defeated Van Assche, 2-4, 4-1, 4-3(1), 4-3(6) after displaying strong hitting and precise ball striking for an hour and thirty-seven minutes.
As the tournament progressed, the World No. 36 produced a number of incredible forehands and demonstrated his dominance on serve, winning 23 of his 24 first-serve points in the third and fourth sets.
Arthur Fils who booked his ticket to the final on his fourth match point and will now face Hamad Medjedovic for the title on Saturday, celebrated the victory by doing Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siu’ celebration.
“Today was a tough match against a great, great friend. We’ve known each other since we were nine, so it was a little bit tough and I’m happy with the win,” Fils said on his on-court interview. “I came onto the court with the mindset that I can win. The first set was tough, he was playing very good and defending so well, running very fast. I kept my focus and I’m really happy about this win.”
Fills then concluded “I played every point trying everything with my forehand, moving very good. I was quite happy about that tie-break.”
Arthur Fils is the first Frenchman to reach the final match in the 21-and-under event’s six-year existence after terminating Van Assche’s season, Fils is 4-0 this week.
In the second semi-final, Swiss Dominic Stricker retired due to injury, sending Serbs Hamad Medjedovic to the final.
© Copyrights Sixsports. All Rights Reserved.