Quentin Halys beats Frances Tiafoe (No. 7) 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(9) in the second round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday 4 November, after saving four match points. His win qualifies Arthur Fils for the ATP Finals in Turin, and Fils then beats Tomas Machac 6-3, 7-6(4). Arthur Rinderknech and Luca Van Assche also go through: four Frenchmen are in the last 16, and Ugo Humbert is out.
How did Quentin Halys beat Frances Tiafoe?
In 2 hours, at the end of a third set that long looks lost. Halys leads 4-0 in the first, Tiafoe levels by breaking him twice in the second, then leads 3-1 and 4-2 in the decider and serves for the match at 5-4. Halys breaks straight back, saves four match points in the tie-break and wins it 11-9, on his first match point.
The world No. 46 hits 17 aces. He had won just one of 22 matches against top-10 players; Tiafoe is ranked 8th. In the first round, he had already beaten Arthur Fery in a tie-break.
Why is Arthur Fils qualified for Turin?
Because Tiafoe loses. According to the ATP's scenarios for the day, the American's defeat guarantees Fils one of the eight places at the ATP Finals in Turin, from 15 to 22 November. Fils is 7th in the race on 3,535 points; Tiafoe stays on 3,390.
He is the first Frenchman to qualify for the season finale since Gael Monfils in 2016.
How did Arthur Fils beat Tomas Machac?
In straight sets, in the evening on Court Central. Fils faces no break point in the first set, leads 5-2, and Machac saves three set points in a 28-point game before the Frenchman serves it out to love. In the second, Machac leads 2-0 in the tie-break, and Fils wins it 7-4.
It is his 22nd Masters 1000 win this season, a record for a Frenchman. He arrived in Paris with doubts about his fitness: on Friday 30 October in Basel, he retired in the quarter-finals against Taylor Fritz with lower back discomfort, trailing 6-2, 2-0.
How did Rinderknech and Van Assche get through?
- Arthur Rinderknech beats Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-1 in 1hr 06min, without facing a break point. It is his fifth Masters 1000 last-16 appearance.
- Luca Van Assche, ranked 47th, knocks out American Learner Tien (No. 15) 7-6(4), 6-4 in 2hr 02min, saving nine of the ten break points he faces.
Which Frenchman is out?
Ugo Humbert, beaten 7-6(3), 7-5 by Italy's Matteo Berrettini, who faces Carlos Alcaraz in the last 16.
Which Frenchmen play the round of 16?
Four, on Thursday 5 November, all on Court Central:
- Quentin Halys against American Tommy Paul (No. 12), at 11am.
- Arthur Rinderknech against American Ben Shelton (No. 3), next.
- Luca Van Assche against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti, next.
- Arthur Fils (No. 6) against Taylor Fritz (No. 11), not before 8:30pm, six days after Basel.