Novak Djokovic Progresses To Next Round As Home Favourite Arthur Fils Defies Injury Scare To Beat Spanish Opponent

 

Arthur Fils, ranked 14th seed, battled through injury to overcome Spanish opponent, Juane Munar

French sensation Arthur Fils secured a thrilling epic victory, battling an injury scare to outlast Juame Munar, advancing to the French Open third round. 

Fils battled through two tiebreaks and a decider to win in five sets by 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 2-6 0-6 6-4. However, he was poised to lose that match following his injury struggle in the third set. He managed to pick himself up in the decider and rallied from 1-3 to win.

Speaking of the motivation that kept him in the match, Fils gave credit to his compatriot, Gael Monfils. He acknowledged imbibing the courage of the 38-year-old to turn matches around from a rally. 

"I was in the five set and I was thinking of Gael...Gael had to turn around a lot of matches in five sets. So I thought, Arthur, this is hours. You have to do the same. Go for it," Fils recalled. 

In a separate match, three-time champion Novak Djokovic eliminated Corentin Moutet in three sets, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1) to progress to the third round in his quest for a fourth title at Roland Garros. 

Djokovic had just won his 100th tour-level title at the Geneva Open, which was his first tour-level title in two seasons. Should the former world champion reach the final, having to win Roland Garros will be his first Grand Slam title since the US Open in 2023.