Arthur Fils finds positives amid latest Masters 1000 setback as frustration boils over with racket smash

Arthur Fils cannot catch a break against the teenage sensation that is Rafael Jodar. He was left to smashing his racket in frustration following another brutal defeat to the hands of the 19-year-old in the Canadian Open quarter-finals.

The Spaniard went on to win 7-6(5), 6-3 to get the better of Fils for the second time in two weeks. Now on the brink of debuting in the top 10, it is the least he deserves for what has been a sensational breakout campaign.

For Fils, there are still positives to take despite another bitter blow late in a Masters 1000 tournament. In his young career, the 22-year-old has already reached seven quarter-finals. Only two of them have been converted into semi-finals as he continues to wait for a maiden final at this level.

He is closing in on a return to the top 20, but could not make that next step after the defeat yesterday. The players had to deal with a rain delay that tested their mentality and concentration levels. Both eventually returned with a tiebreak for the first set the port of call, and Jodar edged it 7-5 with his third set point.

It all became too much for Fils who was looking down the barrel of another defeat to the hands of Jodar. This seemed very possible after going a break down in the second set. He reacted furiously in an angry burst which saw him slam his racket onto the floor twice before wandering back to his chair, mulling over his next move.

While he would break back immediately, an eight-point burst saw Jodar re-take the lead before a right hold saw him move one away. He did not need to wait for his service game, converting a fourth match point to get over the line for a first Masters 1000 semi-final. He will not be ranked lower than 11th and will be the favourite against Brandon Nakashima for a spot in the Montreal final.

Following the defeat, Fils spoke with L'Equipe to sum up his emotions and offer well-earned praise to his victorious opponent. "It was a tough match against a very good player. Rafael played very, very well. I took a little time to get into the match. I missed, perhaps, a little boost in the tie-break," he said.

"Afterwards, frankly, respect to him because I didn't make life easy for him. He reacted very well to counter me in almost every aspect of the game. I need to get back to practice. Good players like him make you want to play many matches. I hope we'll meet again. Actually, I'm even sure of it. We'll play each other many times in the next 10 years."

The rain interruption seemingly favoured Fils opponent with the Frenchman believing the momentum was on his side of the court. "I felt I had the momentum at the time of the interruption. Especially, the conditions were very different when we returned to the court. Before the rain, it was still very slow and humid. After, with the sun coming back, it was faster. But with 'ifs', we remake the world."

Fils and Jodar first played each other in the semi-final of the Barcelona Open earlier this year. Fils came out the winner in three sets enroute to the title, but has since not been so fortunate. He lost out to Jodar in the first round of a remarkably tricky DC Open draw a week before the Canadian Open got underway, and has not been able to complete his revenge.

Instead of taking a negative perspective on situation, the French number one opted to look on the brighter side. "I came back to competition in Washington. Here, I made a quarterfinal by playing some good matches. Against Navone and Norrie, it was good," he admitted.

"Even against Jodar, it was a good match. There is frustration and disappointment, but I have to see the positive. I'm happy to have made another quarterfinal. I need to try to go for these tournaments. I've done it in 250s, in 500s... Now the goal is to go higher. Yes, I reassured myself. I feel very good. I move quite well on the court. Frankly, it's reassuring."

The 2026 Canadian Open saw the next generation take over. With the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic not competing, many of the other top seeds failed to make any inroads. Reigning champion Ben Shelton is the only top 10 player to make it to the quarter-final stage with other young talents Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien and Joao Fonseca all having tournaments to be proud of. Add Jodar and Fils into the mix, and that is a hugely promising sign for the next generation of tennis.

"We're going to have a great generation with Ben (Shelton), Mensik, Joao (Fonseca), Rafa (Jodar). And I include myself in it. It's going to be cool to watch. Carlos (Alcaraz) and Jannik (Sinner) are already well established. At some point, there are going to be more and more young players, it's logical. There are still experienced players like Daniil (Medvedev) or Zverev. And others. But I find it nice to see young players fighting to try to win big tournaments like Montreal."

Fils will now set his sights on the Cincinnati Open. From this point until after the Australian Open, he is defending no ranking points after a lengthy period on the sidelines with a back injury. This is his chance to make huge strides up the rankings, similar to Jodar, and maybe in the near future he could be within a shot of the top 10 in the world.