He wasn't really the favourite, but it's still a big disappointment. Great hope of French tennis and just winner of his first ATP tournament in Lyon, Arthur Fils, 18, lost in the first round of Roland-Garros against a safe bet on clay, the Spaniard Davidovich Fokina (6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3), No. 29 seed.
Tense at the beginning of the match, Fils completely missed the first set before taking the measure of Court Simonne-Mathieu and its special atmosphere. Back to a set everywhere, the Frenchman then fished physically, probably because of his long and beautiful week in Lyon, which gave him his first ATP title and a place of 63rd place in the world. Despite a good resistance in the fourth set, Fils lost for his first match at Roland-Garros, he who had been finalist of the junior edition in 2021 against Luca Van Assche.
The other French hopeful, precisely, is also on the courts this Monday: he faces the Italian Cecchinato on court No. 14.