Fils fires up, rallies past Munar in Hamburg opener

Arthur Fils took his time to find his best level on Tuesday at the Hamburg Open. It was worth the wait.

The #NextGenATP Frenchman overcame Jaume Munar 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 after delivering a classy third-set performance. Fils, who reached his first ATP 500 semi-final in Hamburg a year ago, struck a series of scintillating winners off both wings in the closing stages of his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Munar.

“The first set was very tough. I think that I was playing quite good, but the level he was playing was unbelievable, actually,” said Fils, who will play 2023 finalist Laslo Djere next. “I tried my best to stay composed, to stay focused in the second set, because maybe if I got an early break his level could drop.

“I think I did a great job in the second set and put my foot on the accelerator. I played my best level in the third set.”

"It doesn't get better" 🤩

Fils completes a compelling 5-7 6-3 6-1 comeback over Munar@hamburgopenatp | #HamburgOpenATP500 pic.twitter.com/mHaxpVPBPQ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 16, 2024

Fils converted five of 10 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in his two-hour, 11-minute win. The 20-year-old endured a tough first few months of 2024 and won just seven matches across nine tournaments in February, March and April, but he is now 20-17 for the year after backing up his fourth-round run at Wimbledon with Monday's Hamburg win.

“I think that I just worked very hard,” said Fils, when asked how he had turned his year around. “In the first part of the season I was working hard. Of course, the results were not there, but I think that if you trust the process, if you still play the best that you can and every day give the best effort that you can, at the end it pays off.”

With his victory against Munar, Fils also extended his lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah. He is in a strong position to reach the season-ending Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, where he reached the championship match in 2023.

Luciano Darderi was also an early winner in Hamburg on Tuesday. The Italian defeated lucky loser Nick Hardt 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 to set a second-round clash with Alexander Shevchenko.