ATP Tour

Fils’ unorthodox start to Top-10 life: Playing qualies and a R1 masterclass in Tokyo!

Has any other player started competing as a member of the Top 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings in quite the same way Arthur Fils has this week at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships?

The 22-year-old Fils, who on Monday became the first Frenchman to make his Top-10 debut in eight years, on Wednesday raced past his good friend and countryman Luca Van Assche 6-3, 6-2 to reach the second round at the hard-court ATP 500 in Tokyo. Yet that victory was not his first of the week at Ariake Coliseum, after the World No. 9’s name earlier this week surprisingly appeared in the qualifying draw.

“We didn’t know that I was going to play Tokyo,” Fils explained to ATP Media after downing Martin Damm and Kamil Majchrzak in qualifying but before his opening main-draw victory against Van Assche. “It was, ‘Yes, no, yes, no, we don’t know'. We took the decision after my match at the US Open, but it was six or seven hours too late [to meet the sign-in deadline].

“So then we said, ‘Okay, if we want to play we have to play the qualies’, and we said, ‘Okay, let’s do this challenge’. It’s not easy, but now I’ve qualified so everything is good.”

Fils won the Tokyo title in 2024 and is currently at a career-high World No. 9 after a standout 2026 season in which he has so far won an ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati and an ATP 500 crown in Barcelona. Yet the Frenchman knew almost immediately after stepping on court in Tokyo that there were no guarantees he would reach the main draw: He quickly found himself 2-6 down to American lefty Damm in the first round of qualifying.

“I think it was one of my toughest challenges this year, to be honest,” Fils said. “You come as a new Top-10 player and come to play qualies at a 500, at a tournament that I won. So I was very tight, because in one way you can’t lose. When I played against Martin, the first set went so fast in 20 minutes, 6-2 [for him]. I said, ‘Okay, I don’t know how I’m going to do that, but I’ve got to find a way’.”

After recovering to sink Damm and then overcoming Majchrzak, Fils was perhaps feeling more at home in Tokyo after reaching the main draw. He certainly wasted little time securing his second-round berth against Van Assche, converting three of 10 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in his 94-minute victory.

“Today I was a bit more chill,” Fils said after improving to 2-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with World No. 43 Van Assche. “I faced so much pressure in the qualies, but to come into the first round and play against a friend I think I just said to myself, ‘Try to enjoy it’.

"It’s not often that we can play against each other. I wish him all the best. We grew up together, he’s a hell of a player and he’s having his best season so far. I’m super happy for him and I hope he’s going to win another title by the end of the year.”

Now 6-0 in main-draw matches in Tokyo, Fils will next take on second seed Frances Tiafoe (the man he defeated in the Cincinnati final) or home favourite Kei Nishikori, who is playing the final event of his career. Whoever he faces, Fils will step on court with extra pep in his step after his recent PIF ATP Rankings breakthrough.

“It’s pretty cool to play as a Top-10 [player]," he said. "You come in a bit differently on the court. I’m very happy with the way I played and I’m going to try to do the same in the next round.”

With play on outside courts restricted by rain on Wednesday in Tokyo, Valentin Vacherot, Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi were the only other players to book their second-round spots. The eighth-seeded Vacherot edged Alexander Blockx 7-6(2), 7-6(4), while Tabilo upset seventh seed Tommy Paul 6-1, 6-2. In the final match of the day, Arnaldi spoiled the party for home hope Rei Sakamoto by rallying to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 triumph.