ATP Tour

Fils keeps his cool in Basel to boost Turin hopes, but Jodar falters

Arthur Fils delivered a potential crucial boost to his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes with a victory of fine margins on Thursday at the Swiss Indoors Basel.

The 22-year-old Frenchman edged Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals at the indoor hard-court ATP 500, where he is competing as the second seed. Fils, who is seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, saved six of eight break points he faced to down Michelsen, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

A titlist in Barcelona and Cincinnati this year, Fils has now equalled his personal best of 38 tour-level wins in a single season. He will aim to surpass his record in Friday’s quarter-finals, when he takes on sixth seed Taylor Fritz.

Fritz, an outsider contender to qualify for the Live Race in 12th, eased past Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 18 minutes. With the victory, the American advanced to his ninth quarter-final of the season and third indoors, following runs to the championship match in Dallas and Lyon.

Elsewhere at the Swiss ATP 500 event, Rafael Jodar’s Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes suffered a setback earlier in the day, as the Spaniard fell to Valentin Vacherot, who triumphed 7-6(4), 2-6, 7-6(5) in two hours and 30 minutes to advance to the last eight.

Jodar, who is ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin with 3,209 points, is effectively in the final qualification spot but will face stiff competition from 10th-placed Alex de Minaur, who is in the quarter-finals in Vienna. The Australian could move level with eighth-placed Tiafoe if he wins the title in Austria.