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"I will remember this forever": Fils makes history by becoming Lyon Open champion
ATPSunday, 28 May 2023 at 05:30
Arthur Fils
became the youngest champion in the history of the Lyon Open after defeating
Francisco Cerundolo.
The final
of the Lyon Open was filled with emotions as the fourth seed, Francisco
Cerundolo, faced the young local surprise, Arthur Fils, who secured his first
professional title.
The French
player defeated Zhang Zhizhen and took advantage of Mikael Ymer's
disqualification after hitting the umpire's chair with his racket, as well as
Felix Auger-Aliassime's withdrawal, to reach the semifinals. There, he faced
Brandon Nakashima and defeated him in a third-set tie-break to secure his place
in the final.
Despite his
strong form, Argentinean Francisco Cerundolo couldn't match the talent of the
confident French player, who will enter the French Open with high spirits. Fils
didn't hide his excitement after the match,
"I
will remember this forever," he said.
"It
has been a great week. It has been amazing. I am happy with the win and now I
want more. It was a tough semi-final match. Today I came onto court with not
lots of energy, but I was focused on my game and trying my best,” Fils added.
"I was
feeling that I was playing well earlier [this week] but I didn't maybe expect
that I would win the tournament."
In the next
ranking update, Fils will make his first appearance in the top 100, climbing 49
places to reach world No. 63. In his debut at the French Open, he will face
another clay specialist, the 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. As for
Cerundolo, who reached the quarterfinals in Rome and Barcelona, he will play
against Spanish player Jaume Munar.
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