Barcelona [Spain], April 19 : Arthur Fils kept his composure despite a late fightback from Andrey Rublev to secure a 6-2, 7-6(2) victory in the final of the Barcelona Open on Sunday, clinching the title at the ATP 500 clay-court event.
The Frenchman appeared on course for a routine win, racing to a 5-2 lead in the second set and then serving for the title at 5-3. However, Rublev sparked a late comeback, capitalising on a double fault from Fils to break back and close the gap to 5-4.
Fils then earned three championship points on Rublev's serve but failed to convert, as the 28-year-old held his nerve and rattled off five straight points to level the set at 5-5.
The momentum swung further when Rublev broke again to lead 6-5. Refusing to yield, Fils broke straight back to force a tie-break, where he regained control and closed out the match with seven straight points to secure his first title since Tokyo 2024.
"It was terrible. The end of the second set was just about the mental [pressure]. The whole match was a bit tough because I was a bit tight. I played well for a set and a half, but when I had to close, I started to think a little. But I'm very happy with the way I played the tie-break," Fils said about the end of the match.
Fils showed early signs of nerves in Sunday's final, dropping serve in the opening game. However, the 21-year-old quickly settled in, outlasting Rublev in baseline rallies and maintaining relentless pressure from the back of the court, reeling off six consecutive games to take the first set.
With the win, Fils has risen four places to No. 25 in the ATP Live Rankings and is set to replace Arthur Rinderknech to become the French No. 1 for the first time since September 2025.
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