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French teen Fils claims first ATP title in Lyon / Photo: © AFP
French teen Fils claims first ATP title in Lyon
French teenager Arthur Fils claimed his maiden ATP title in Lyon on Saturday with a straight sets win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.
The 18-year-old Fils, ranked 112, won 6-3, 7-5 against his 28th-ranked opponent in one-hour 36-minutes to become the youngest champion in the tournament's history.
A finalist in the French Open juniors and doubles champion in Roland Garros in 2021, the youngster from outside Paris broke through having reached the semi-finals in Marseille and Montpellier this season.
"I will remember this forever," said Fils who took almost three hours to win his semi-final in three sets the day before.
"I'm 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 sealed victory on his first match point against the fourth-seeded Argentine, collapsing in disbelief as the home crowd cheered.
He becomes the youngest champion on the ATP Tour this year and the third teenager to win a trophy in 2023, along with Carlos Alcaraz (Indian Wells, Barcelona, Buenos Aires) and Holger Rune (Munich).
The Frenchman also broke into the top 100 for the first time, rising 49 places to 63.
Fils and countryman Luca Van Assche, 19, are the only teenagers in the men's draw at Roland Garros next week.
Cerundolo was aiming to capture his second tour-level trophy after Bastad last season.
The 24-year-old will arrive at the French Open with a 13-9 record on clay in 2023, after reaching quarter-finals in Rome and Barcelona.
L. Pchartschoy--BTZ
