ATP Lyon: Son will seek his first final on the circuit after the effort against Nakashima (7-5, 4-6, 7-6)

That one he didn’t steal! Arthur Fils experienced great happiness on Friday in Lyon, qualifying for his first final on the ATP circuit. The young Frenchman – he is not yet 19 – was very strong mentally to overcome the American Brandon Nakashima, 52nd in the world, in three sets (7-5, 4-6, 7-6) and almost three hours of play (2h55 precisely) in half. He survived a crazy end to the game that saw him battle cramps and gloat on his first match point. To get his first title, he will be opposed on Saturday to the Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo, who made short work of Cameron Norrie (6-3, 6-0).

He hasn’t played many matches with the big boys but he has already had his share of emotions in 2023. After two semi-finals already in February in Montpellier and Marseille, Arthur Fils pushed the adventure further this Friday at Lyons. If he had ups and downs on the tennis level, he showed all his personality in an endgame that had every reason to escape him. Having had a break lead in the third act, he saw his rival come back to 4-4, before the match took an unforgettable turn in terms of dramatic intensity.

Cramps then a false joy, but a hell of a mental

At the service to regain control, Son was thus seized with cramps, unable to push on his legs. But he kept his commitment with mischief and talent: a service under the spoon and a winning backhand passing line along the line notably saved him from trouble. Massed at the change of sides, he regained some energy, and, taking advantage of opposing errors, obtained a match point at 30/40. The point started and after hearing a “fault” announcement on the opponent’s ball, the Frenchman collapsed on his back… too soon. Because in the meantime, the referee had judged his linesman.

But the French was able to refocus to seek victory after the effort and the decisive tie-break, 7 points to 5. He will have to recover well to have a chance to do even better on Saturday. Still, Son is definitely promising. What a story two days before Roland-Garros!