Hamburg [Germany], July 29 : Arthur Fils delivered a stunning performance to storm into the semifinal of the ongoing Hamburg European Open after defeating world number four Casper Ruud on Friday.
Fils defeated Ruud by 6-0, 6-4 to clinch his first-ever victory against a top-20 opponent. The 19-year-old was lethal with his forehands and showed off immense power and accuracy in the 78-minute match.
"I am really happy about it. Of course, it was a tough match," said Fils in his on-court interview as quoted by ATP.
"I had good tactics with my coach before the match. We talked before the match, that I have to believe I can win. Of course, I am coming on court, I want to win, so I tried to play my game and I played my best today, so I’m happy about it," he added.
Fils is now 4-0 at ATP Tour level QFs. His run in Hamburg is the first time he has reached a semifinal outside France, his home country. This is also his first-ever appearance in a semifinal at ATP 500 level.
The Frenchman's next opponent will be Alexander Zverev, who denied Luca Van Assche a shot in his maiden tour-level semifinal by defeating him 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes. This is Alexander's third semifinal in six appearances in Hamburg.
A two-time ATP final champion Alexander his risen two spots, reaching the tenth spot in ATP Live Rankings. Now he aims to qualify for the prestigious season finale for the sixth time.
Lorenzo Musetti's Hamburg title defence came to an end at the QFs after a loss to Laslo Djere.
The world number 57 Serbian defeated Musetti by 7-5, 6-3.
Djere's next opponent will be Zhang Zhizhen, who reached his maiden ATP Tour level semifinal with a 6-4, 6-4 triumph against home favourite Daniel Altmaier.
If Zhang beats Djere in the semis, Zhang will rise further to become the first Chinese player to break into the top 50 of the ATP Rankings.
The Hamburg European Open will take place till July 30 after it started on July 22.
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