"I told myself: 'You played a tough first round—try to make the second round a bit easier'" - Arthur Fils falls back on advice from Ivanisevic enroute to victory in Madrid

Arthur Fils has been through some tight matches so far in this Madrid Open. He was able to continue his progress in the tournament after avoiding a three-set battle against Emilio Nava, winning 7-6(2), 6-3. He managed to find a way past the big and consistent serving of the American to record another impressive win.

It is now seven consecutive wins from the 21-year-old, enjoying an incredible spell on court following from his Barcelona Open triumph. The latest player to fall against the Frenchman was Nava. The first set was routinely on serve through to the tiebreak. Fils streaked away, showing his class as he wrapped up the first set.

He completed the second a lot quicker. A trio of consecutive breaks saw Nava instantly get back on level terms after Fils thought he took the definitive advantage. He would move back ahead instantly, with that break point the last one won against the serve. Three holds to love on the spin saw Fils see it out with ease to confirm a spot in the third round in Madrid.

He broke down his performance after the match on the Tennis Channel. "I think returning his serve. The guy was serving bombs—217, 218, 219, 215 km/h. I couldn’t do anything, especially in the first set," he commented.

"I had an important game at 5–5 where I thought maybe I could break, but he still played a great game. So yeah, I had to play a great tiebreak—and I think I did. I was serving well and returning better. That was the key—you have to return first. I did it pretty well, so I’m very happy."

He was pleased to avoid a drawn-out contest as he got proceedings wrapped up in just two sets. "In the second set, it was a bit better for me. I had a bad game at 3–1—not terrible, just a bit off. I sat down and said to myself, 'Arthur, if you go three sets again because of this, man…' But I figured it out. I’m happy to win in two sets."

Nava was serving very well throughout, limiting the chances Fils had against the serve. He utilised the prestige and experience of Goran Ivanisevic in his box, taking on some advice as he looked to find the breakthrough.

"Goran told me to just focus on my own service games and maybe I’d get some chances," he recalled. "He told me that at the start of the second set—and I managed to get broken, so that was very clever from me. But I kept trying. At first, I was returning from far back, but he was serving too well. So I said, 'You know what—step in, pick a side, and just try to put the return in.' That’s what I did, and I’m pretty happy with it."

It could have been easy for Fils to let his head drop after another tough test. His first round match against Ignacio Buse lasted almost three hours with him completing a comeback win. He was dearly hoping not to draw this one out similar to his second round match.

He managed to keep his concentration and focus on the task at hand. "Yes, I stayed pretty focused. I knew the first match would be tough, with the conditions and everything. Then once you get on court, you start to feel more comfortable. Today I felt better—I could rally, which is important for my game.

"I told myself: 'You played a tough first round—try to make the second round a bit easier. Don’t go three hours today.' It’s not easy on the body, and I managed to avoid that. So yeah, I’m happy."

Fils is usually an enjoyable tennis player to watch, boasting a creative spark which makes him slightly unpredictable. While he does look at the statistics and data ahead of these matches, Fils uses instinct on court to get the better of his opponent.

"You can look at statistics—that’s what I do. But in the end, on court, it’s about feeling," he explained. "For example, today he was supposed to serve more down the T on the deuce side, but in the first few games he only went wide. So I said, 'OK, let’s go with the feeling.' Stats are one thing, but you have to read the match, understand patterns, and sometimes just guess right. I think I did that well today."

Fils explained his pre-match routine, not over complicating it. "I just go on court, hit some balls, and that’s it. Maybe Goran tells me two or three things before the match—'watch out for this, this, this'—and then I just play. Keep it simple: play tennis, hit the forehand, that’s it."

Along with that, he would listen to music to get him pumped up and ready for the match. He talked through his go to artists. "Before stepping on court, I always listen to Many Men by 50 Cent—that’s a classic. Then there’s a French artist, Guy2Bezbar—he’s got a song called Rosé, really good. French rap is crazy good. And I’ve been listening to Cordae as well—really good. So yeah, that’s the vibe right now."

Fils has reached the quarterfinal stage at minimum in the two Masters 1000 tournaments he has played in this year, not competing in the Monte-Carlo Masters as he preserved his body for this period in the calendar. He will look to make even more progress in this tournament against Tomas Martin Etcheverry with a sixth Masters 1000 last-eight appearance just one win away.