It will be a marquee match at the Open Occinatie as Felix Auger-Aliassime and Arthur Fils meet in the quarterfinals on Friday night. Surprisingly, this marks their first meeting.
Both players arrived in Montpellier as question marks – especially Fils. The 21-year-old Frenchman has not played since the Toronto Masters last summer due to a back injury. Despite competing in two matches in Toronto, Fils had been out since the French Open. Still, Fils is getting the rust off nicely this week. The former world number 14 secured his place in the last eight defeating his teammates Valentin Royer (7-6 (6), 6-7 (4), 6-2) and Ugo Blanchet (7-6 (4), 7-5).
Auger-Aliassime retired in the first round of the Australian Open, but that was due to cramps rather than injury. Unsurprisingly, the world number 8 looked impressive in his opening match on Thursday evening – beating in-form Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-6(3).
Fils played the big points very well against Royer and Blanchet, but those are the two guys who really struggled to win any games at all. It’s a very different story with Auger-Aliassime on the other side of the net.
Regardless of Friday’s result, the Phils’ comeback tournament is a huge success. As the top seed and defending champion, it’s a title or a blowout for Auger-Aliassime in Montpellier. Canada’s journey to a second consecutive Cup must continue.
Select: Auger-Aliassime in 2
