Fils hits 'best passing I ever hit in my life' to reach Tokyo final

Arthur Fils’ reaction said it all.

After hitting a final forehand passing shot to close out a 7-6(8), 7-6(10) victory against Holger Rune in the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships semi-finals, the Frenchman fell to the court.

“It’s the best passing I ever hit in my whole life, man. The passing went crazy. I was going exactly for this one and it went so good out of my racquet. It was an amazing one,” Fils said in his on-court interview. “When I went to the passing, I got big cramps in the quads and I said to myself, ‘Okay, I need to win this one because otherwise I don’t know how I’m going to do it’.

“I saw the passing and just laid down because I was completely tired [from] the match and all the week.”

The final 2 in Tokyo! 🏆 @japanopentennis | #kinoshitajotennis pic.twitter.com/AGbhrki9Vg

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 30, 2024

Fils is into his fourth ATP Tour final and his second at an ATP 500, after lifting the trophy in Hamburg earlier this year. He will face countryman Ugo Humbert for the crown in Tokyo.

Humbert leads the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 3-0, including a 6-2, 6-2 win just two months ago in Montreal. Even so, Fils is happy to face a friend in the final.

“It’s amazing. For now I’ve never beat him, so I’m going to come on the court as an underdog,” Fils said. “We like this position, especially in the final. So let’s see how it [will] go.”

Rune won three more total points than Fils in their semi-final according to Infosys ATP Stats, but the Frenchman found a way through two tight tie-breaks.

The first-placed player in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, 20, saved three of the four break points he faced to become the third-youngest finalist in tournament history.