Arthur Fils reveals learnings from his heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Monte Carlo ahead of their rematch in the Barcelona semifinals

Arthur Fils and Carlos Alcaraz recently played a high-quality match at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, where the Spaniard prevailed.

Arthur Fils reveals learnings from his heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in Monte Carlo ahead of their rematch in the Barcelona semifinals

Carlos Alcaraz and Arthur Fils (via ATP)

Carlos Alcaraz and Arthur Fils had never faced each other before last week. Now, they are meeting for the second time in a short span. In their first match, Fils had a strong chance to win but couldn’t close it out. Alcaraz came back and took the victory.

Fils said that he learned a lot from that match. Losses can teach important lessons, and this one helped him grow. It’s exciting to watch these two young players compete. They could be big names in tennis for years to come.

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Of course. The last match was very positive. Of course, I lost it, but still very positive. Tomorrow is gonna be different. We are in Spain. He’s playing great here. I think he won twice already. So yeah, it’s gonna be a nice one. I watched a little bit of the match against Alex… Let’s see how it goes tomorrow.

Arthur Fils said in his post-match interview at the Barcelona Open

Fils has been playing very well in 2025. He already has three titles to his name. Many believe he’ll win another soon. At just 20 years old, he’s one year younger than Alcaraz.

While Alcaraz may be seen as having more potential, Fils is still a key player for the sport. He’s now aiming to stay sharp ahead of the French Open. So far, he hasn’t made it past the fourth round at a Grand Slam. He’ll be hoping to change that this year.

Arthur Fils moves on in Barcelona after the retirement of Stefanos Tsitsipas

French tennis star Arthur Fils moved into the semi-finals at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell on Friday. His opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, retired early in their quarter-final match. Fils was up 2-0 when Tsitsipas stopped playing. The Greek player had taken a medical break just six minutes into the match.

Arthur Fils (3)
Arthur Fils (Image via X/Miami Open)

Tsitsipas has played in the Barcelona final four times before. But this time, he couldn’t continue due to a problem early in the game. Fils, who was seeded seventh, got the win and advanced. In the semi-finals, Fils will face Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish tennis star is currently ranked No. 2 in the PIF ATP Ranking after his Monte Carlo win last week.

Fils is now at a career-best No. 13 in the live rankings. If he wins the title in Barcelona, he could enter the Top 10. So far in 2025, he has a 17-7 win-loss record. He also made it to the quarter-finals in Hong Kong, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, and Barcelona.

Carlos Alcaraz moves past Alex de Minaur

Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz continued his strong form on Friday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell. He beat Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals. This win marks his eighth straight victory on the ATP Tour. Alcaraz had to come from behind twice in the first set but finished the match in one hour and 39 minutes.

Carlos Alcaraz (3)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

The Spanish star is now one of six players with eight wins in a row in 2025. He recently won the title in Monte-Carlo and is aiming for another in Barcelona. Alcaraz has already won the Barcelona event twice, in 2022 and 2023. He will face Arthur Fils next.

On the other side of the draw, Holger Rune had a strong performance. He beat last year’s winner Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-2. Rune controlled the match from the baseline and used smart tactics, including a serve-and-volley play in the second set.

This was Rune’s third Top-10 win in a row, following victories over Tsitsipas and Medvedev. He has now won six straight quarter-final matches. His streak goes back to last season in Cincinnati.