Arthur Fils Lets Out All Emotions with Crazy Celebration After Tommy Paul Miami Win

Arthur Fils will next be playing Jiri Lehecka in his first Masters 1000 semifinal.

Arthur Fils Lets Out All Emotions with Crazy Celebration After Tommy Paul Miami Win

Arthur Fils (R) defeated Tommy Paul (L) to reach his first Masters 1000 semifinal (Image via X/Joao Fonseca Updates, Tiempo De Tenis, Tennis TV)

In Short
  • Arthur Fils defeated Tommy Paul in a dramatic quarterfinal match at the Miami Open, saving four match points.
  • The victory marks Fils' first semifinal appearance in a Masters 1000 event and makes him the youngest French player to reach this stage since 2007.
  • Fils will face Jiri Lehecka in the semifinals, having won two of their previous three encounters.

Arthur Fils played his toughest match of the Miami Open on Wednesday (March 23). Up against him in the quarterfinals was home favorite Tommy Paul, who squandered four match points before losing 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 7-6(6).

The 21-year-old, even though he failed to break the American throughout the match, came from 2-6 down in the deciding-set tie-break, saving four match points in the process. What followed the win was Fils’ crazy celebration with his team.

Here’s the video:

There are many emotions I am feeling right now, and those I had to face during the match. I believe Tommy played better than me in all three sets, but I found the necessary energy to come back. It was a fierce battle, and I would have had nothing to blame myself for if I had lost because I gave my all on the court. Only one could win, and I preferred it to be me. This is the best result of my career, and I see myself close to my peak level, but I want more.

Arthur Fils said during his on-court interview

The win helped Fils improve his head-to-head record to 1-1. Fils, in fact, will be playing his first semifinal in a Masters 1000 event. Before this Miami Open, he made four quarterfinals at this level, including in last year’s Miami Open.

He also made the last eight in this Indian Wells, losing the match to Alexander Zverev. Fils’ latest win has made him the youngest French player to reach the semifinals of a Masters 1000 tournament since Richard Gasquet in 2007 in Paris.

Fils will now be competing for his fifth tour-level final. In the previous five finals, the Frenchman won titles at the 2023 Lyon Open, 2024 Hamburg Open, and 2024 Japan Open. This year, he made the final of the Qatar Open but lost the match to Carlos Alcaraz.

He will next be locking horns with Jiri Lehecka, who knocked out Martin Landaluce in straight sets. Fils has met the Czech ace three times, winning two matches, including in the quarterfinals of this year’s Qatar Open.

Arthur Fils reveals which athlete inspired his new hairstyle

Arthur Fils, apart from his performances, has also made headlines due to his new hairstyle. During his interview with Tennis Channel, Fils said he wanted to emulate Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic and develop his own personal style.

Arthur Fils
Arthur Fils (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis)

Two months ago, I told my father: in tennis, there are already the best like Carlos, Jannik, or Novak. Each has their own style. Carlos is like Michael Jordan, Jannik like Kobe Bryant…so I had to bring something different: Allen Iverson! My father didn’t like it much, he said, ‘Focus on tennis, and then we can talk about the style.’ But I said, ‘This is Miami; I have to enjoy myself.’

Djokovic withdrew from the Miami Open, where he finished as the runner-up last year, losing to Jakub Mensik. Alcaraz crashed out in the third round, losing to home favorite Sebastian Korda in three sets. Before Miami, eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev knocked him out in the semifinals of Indian Wells, where the seven-time Grand Slam champion was chasing his third title of the tournament.

Medvedev ended his 16-match winning streak as Alcaraz won back-to-back titles, at the Australian Open and at the Qatar Open by defeating Djokovic and Fils, respectively. Sinner, on the other hand, lifted his first title of the season in the California desert and is bidding to complete the Sunshine Doubles. He knocked out Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinal to schedule his semifinal match against another home favorite, Frances Tiafoe.

Also read: Iga Swiatek’s Physiotherapist Dives Into the Coaching Shakeup After Miami Open Exit