Arthur Fils Falls Short in ATP 250 Final Against Alexander Bublik

No second title this season for Arthur Fils. Winner of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semi-final on Saturday, the Habs fell in the final of the ATP 250 in Antwerp against Alexander Bublik on Sunday afternoon (6-4, 6-4). Too solid on serve, the Kazakhstani won his third title, the second indoor after his success in Montpellier last year.

An ace to win his second tournament of the year in Antwerp: Bublik dominates Fils without trembling

Despite a balanced start to the match, punctuated by several well-felt climbs from the Habs, the 36th player in the world broke first, helped by the unusual waste of his opponent from the back of the court. Carried by a first ball that was too complicated to return, Bublik compensated for his large number of double faults (11), never allowing Son to find his rhythm on the restart. Struggling with his forehand, usually his strong point, Laurent Raymond’s protégé was unable to improve his only break point during the eighth game, conceding the first set after barely more than half an hour (6-4 ).

Bublik to experience

Touched, the Frenchman had a start to the second round in line with the end of the first, giving in his entry and smashing his racket to try to vent all his frustration. Reason for satisfaction, he is far from having pulled out the pin afterwards, finding a hard-hitting forehand to secure a poorly embarked throw-in at 2-0 to his disadvantage. Better still, he even got himself two break points in the sixth game, thanks in particular to a superb counter-drop to conclude the best point of the match.

The crowd still standing: the crazy point won by Fils

Unfortunately for him, the Kazakhstani remained on the same serving standards, alternating between the good and the less good but managing to stack winning serves in key moments. With one last banderilla not returned by the Frenchman, Bublik thus offered himself a third title on the circuit, at the end of a ninth final during which he never seemed in great difficulty.

Beaten for the first time in the final of an ATP tournament, Arthur Fils will leave Belgium with the feeling of having (again) gained valuable experience, at the dawn of the end of the season which will take him to Vienna, Bercy and Jeddah for the NextGen Masters. Great opportunities to get rid of disappointment, especially when you know that, often, the appetite comes with eating.

2023-10-22 16:30:00
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