Only one of the two players really needed the win, and he got it. Phils, already qualified in Turin, had lived emotional wednesdayhe secured his place in the ATP Finals in the afternoon defeated Thomas Machak in the evening and signed the camera with “Ici c’est Paris”. He had very little left in the tank Thursday night.
Phils. “He just played better than me.”
Phils ruled out any injury. “No, no injury. He just played better than me. I didn’t feel comfortable on the court because he made me uncomfortable. He had a very good match and I congratulate him,” the Frenchman said at his press conference held in French.
“It’s not like I had a bad match,” he added. “He was just stronger than me, he served better and returned better. In the end it’s two breaks, 6-3, 6-4. Not much to say.”
Fritz: “That’s how I want to play”
If the Phils had won, Francis Tiafoe would have qualified for Thursday night. Fritz now has 3050 points. He will pass Rafael Jodar (3234) in the semi-finals and Tiafoe (3390) in the final. Tommy Paul, with 2,925 points, is also still in contention but should make the finals. In the quarterfinals, Paul will face Ben Shelton in the other half of the draw.
“I played really well,” Fritz said on court. “I did everything I feel I do well. That’s how I want to play, that’s my style of tennis. serve really well, return really well and be aggressive. The conditions were fast and I felt like the speed of the court really allowed me to play my game and be rewarded when I came in.”
A week after retiring against Fritz in the Basel quarterfinals, trailing 6-2, 2-0, Fils did not earn a single break point. Fritz won 41 of her 51 service points, including 11 of 12 on her second serve, and hit 14 aces to Phils’ six.
Fritz broke Phils 4-2 in the first set on his first break point and served it out to love. Phils saved two break points in the opening game of the second set, but was broken in his next service game for 2-1. The American never looked back and closed out the match at love with a serve and backhand winner on his first match point.
Fritz went 27 to the Phils’ 15 with 16 unforced errors. On the return, the Frenchman won just one of Fritz’s 12 second-serve points. The Paris crowd tried to lift him with “Allez Arthur” chants, but the American was in control throughout.
“There were quite a few spots where I was a little too defensive, I think,” Phils said. “It’s also due to the speed of his game today, on the hard court, which is very fast. We’re not really used to playing on courts like this. It’s usually pretty slow. I could come back better on second serves. Maybe I could have used my forehand better.”
The Phils’ loss goes away Luca Van Asschewho earlier beat Lorenzo Musetti as the last Frenchman to play in singles. files, First Frenchman to qualify for ATP Finals since Gael Monfils in 2016now turns to Turin.
The Phils, who have known Van Assche since he was a teenager, aren’t surprised to see him in the quarterfinals. “Surprised, no. He’s always been a very, very good player. He was sure he would be back. He has always had great qualities and today he showed it again in the long game against Musetti,” he said. “I hope that in the semi-final, in the final we will have a Frenchman and maybe even a winner.”
Fritz, who didn’t originally plan for such a long season, says he still feels fresh. “I finished with Shanghai and I felt very motivated and healthy and I feel like I played good tennis,” he said. “It’s just great to be able to play seven weeks in a row, a lot of matches and still feel healthy and motivated.”
Next up is Alcaraz. “Carlos and I have had a lot of battles and close ones, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity,” Fritz said.
Rolex Paris Masters 2026 last-16 results
Luca Van Aschen d. Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 3-6, 6-4
Rinki Hijikata (Q) d. Thomas Martin Etcheverry 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
Ben Shelton (3) d. Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5)
Tommy Paul (12) d. Quentin Hallis 7-6 (3), 6-4
Jan-Lennard Straff (SE) vs Kasper Ruud (Thursday)
Nuno Borges (LL) d. Ignacio Bus 6-0, 6-2
Taylor Fritz (11) d. Arthur Fils (6) 6-3, 6-4
Carlos Alcaraz (2) d. Matteo Berettini, walker
In bold. today’s results.