Alexander Zverev Knocks Off Arthur Fills in Paris Masters
There has been no shortage of surprises in the Rolex Paris Masters, and every top-ranked player should be on upset alert. One of the best matches of the day came in the Round of 16 matchup between Alexander Zverev and Arthur Fills.
Entering the match, Zverev had defeated Fills in two of their three prior meetings. Plus, the World No. 3 is the second-best ranked player still in the draw. Going into the afternoon match, it felt like there could be an upset brewing.
Meanwhile, Fills is the World No. 20 and had the French fans in attendance cheering for him. Ultimately, Zverev would avoid being the latest star player to be upset. Zverev defeated Fills in three sets: 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
After dropping the first set, Fills came back with an explosive second set to force a decider. Yet, Zverev was on his game today and won the deciding match.
Zverev tallied 23 winners and 28 unforced errors. While Fills' serve was sharp, he ended up with 25 winners and 35 unforced errors.
Fills' season might be over, while Zverev will face the 10-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals on Friday. Additionally, Zverev has already qualified for next month's ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.