Home / Sports / Fils Ousts Top-10 Rival Tiafoe in Tokyo Thriller
Fils Ousts Top-10 Rival Tiafoe in Tokyo Thriller
2 Oct
Summary
- Arthur Fils defeated Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 7-5 in a thrilling Tokyo match.
- Fils came through qualifying despite being a Top-10 player.
- Valentin Vacherot also advanced after a comeback win.
Arthur Fils has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships after defeating fellow Top-10 player Frances Tiafoe. The 22-year-old Frenchman secured a 6-3, 7-5 victory over World No. 8 Tiafoe in a hard-fought second-round match on Friday. Fils, who is ranked ninth in the PIF ATP Rankings, had to compete in qualifying for the Tokyo event after missing the initial entry deadline. He notably won the 2024 title in Tokyo.
Fils's win extends his perfect record against Tiafoe to 3-0 in their career meetings. The match featured many exciting rallies, with Fils demonstrating resilience, especially when facing break points in the second set. He will now face eighth seed Valentin Vacherot in the quarter-finals. Vacherot achieved his own comeback victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 after trailing in sets and games.
In other ATP 500 action, French player Kyrian Jacquet achieved the biggest win of his career by upsetting World No. 19 Luciano Darderi 6-3, 7-6(5). Jacquet, ranked World No. 86, has now reached two consecutive tour-level quarter-finals. He is scheduled to play Jaume Munar next, who easily defeated Jaime Faria. Valentin Vacherot previously made history as the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in 2024.
