The Frenchman looked poised to close out a routine victory, leading 5-2 in the second set and later serving for the championship at 5-3. However, Rublev mounted a late surge, breaking back after a double fault from Fils to make it 5-4. On Rublev’s serve, Fils earned three championship points but could not convert, as the 28-year-old reeled off five consecutive points to level at 5-5. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“It was terrible,” Fils said about the end of the match. “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.”<\/p>\n
Fils also showcased some early nerves in Sunday\u2019s final by dropping serve in the opening game of the match. But the 21-year-old outlasted Rublev from the baseline, continued to apply pressure from the back of the court, winning six consecutive games to clinch the first set. <\/p>\n
Overall, the Frenchman struck 31 winners to 10 from Rublev and won 68 per cent (26\/38) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. With his one-hour, 40-minute victory, Fils improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Rublev. <\/p>\n
The win also marked another step in Fils\u2019 steady resurgence following an eight-month layoff in 2025 due to a back injury. Since returning to the Tour in February, the former World No. 14 has reached the final in Doha, the quarter-finals in Indian Wells, and the semi-finals in Miami, underlining a rapid return to form. <\/p>\n
“I want to say big thanks to my team,” Fils said. “We did one hell of a job. It’s been eight months struggling with injury, but now we are back on the court and we have won the trophy. I am pretty happy about that.”<\/p>\n
The title run capped a memorable week for Fils. The ninth seed was on the brink of an early exit before he saved two match points against Terence Atmane<\/a> in the first round. He then beat Brandon Nakashima<\/a>, upset second seed Lorenzo Musetti<\/a> and outlasted Rafael Jodar<\/a> to reach the championship match in Barcelona for the first time. <\/p>\n With the win, Fils has risen four places to No. 25 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and is set to replace Arthur Rinderknech<\/a> to become the French No. 1 for the first time since September 2025. Fils, who is pursuing his first Nitto ATP Finals<\/a> qualification, is now up to sixth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the season-to-date standings.<\/p>\n![\"\u201cATP](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/atp-fantasy-article-banner.jpg\")
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