ATP Tour

Fils following first-round defeat in New York: 'Even if I was fighting, it was tough'

Just eight days after winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, Arthur Fils saw his US Open campaign come to an early end on Monday, falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round. Following his defeat, the Frenchman offered an honest assessment of his performance.

"I don't really know, I don't have the answer," Fils shared after his 6-4, 6-7(3), 1-6, 4-6 loss. "Once the energy went down at the end of the second set, I never felt good energy again. I have to talk with my team, but at my level, making such a mistake almost [feels] unprofessional."

Fils had looked firmly in control early on after taking the opening set and leading by a break in the second set, but former World No. 3 Tsitsipas turned the match on its head to earn his first win against the Frenchman, who led 5-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series coming into the match.

"I was trying to fight," Fils admitted. "At one point, I [even] broke back early in the fourth, so I was trying to find a way. But I was not accurate enough on the serve. The ball was not going very well off my racquet. It was tough. Even if I was fighting, it was tough."

It was a frustrating result for Fils, particularly given the level he has shown throughout the season since returning to the Tour in February following an eight-month injury layoff. The Frenchman reached the final in Doha, the quarter-finals in Indian Wells and the semi-finals in Miami, then won his fourth tour-level title in Barcelona. Fils then made it to the semi-finals in Madrid, the quarter-finals in Montreal, before breaking through for the biggest title of his career in Cincinnati.

On Monday, however, the 22-year-old was unable to reproduce that level as Tsitsipas rallied. But Fils was quick to give credit to his opponent.

"I got some chances, but couldn't make it," Fils said. “But congrats to him. He played better than me, so he deserves to win.”

Despite the early exit in New York, Fils remains fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and is firmly in contention to qualify for the season-ending event for the first time in his career. For now though, the World No. 11 will look to put the loss behind him and continue building on what has been a standout season.

"I am pretty happy with the way I played in Montreal and Cincinnati," Fils shared. "But very, very, very disappointed with the way I played today. For now, I see more darkness than pink, but it's okay."