Two fellow Frenchmen, Quentin Halys and Arthur Fils lock horns with each other in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Montpellier Open on Friday.
The 26-year-old has reached the quarterfinals of a tournament for the second time this season and also in his career. In the ASB Classic, he lost to Jenson Brooksby in the quarterfinals.
In the round of 32 of the Montpellier Open, Halys had to fight hard to emerge victorious against compatriot Clement Chidekh. Halys smashed a whopping 25 aces in the match that finished 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 in his favor. In the second round, Halys stunned 5th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with a professional performance. Halys had a win percentage of 90 on the first serve and also fired in 11 aces.
It has been a tournament where the talented 18-year-old announced himself to the tennis fraternity. He became the first man born in 2004 or later to reach an ATP quarterfinal.
In the round of 32, Fils defeated compatriot Richard Gasquet in two competitive sets to register his first top-50 win. He carried the momentum into his second-round clash against 4th seed Roberto Bautista Agut. Fils won the match 6-3, 6-4. In each of the two matches, Fils hit 8 aces. He has risen to a career-high ranking of world No. 141 with two impressive wins.
Quentin Halys and Arthur Fils have faced each other only once so far. The latter defeated Fils in a Challenger event in Turin in 2022. The match ended in three sets 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 in favor of Halys. Therefore, the head-to-head scoreline currently stands at 1-0 with Halys in the lead.
Prediction: Arthur Fils to win in three sets.
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