It was far from a polished performance, but the result is what counts: Arthur Fils came through against Zachary Svajda in the round of 32 at the ATP Masters 1000 in Montreal. After 1 hour and 38 minutes on Court 5 of the National Bank Open, the scoreline read 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in Fils' favour — a victory that was anything but straightforward.
Shaky start, evenly contested middle
The Frenchman, seeded 18th and currently ranked 24th in the world, began the match visibly out of sorts. In the opening set, Fils quickly found himself 0-3 down — a warning sign against an opponent who knows how to perform on hard courts. Svajda, 23 years old and ranked 87th in the world, had come through qualifying to reach the main draw and was making his debut in the main draw of this tournament. His clean ball-striking from the baseline was clearly a source of confidence. Fils steadied himself in time, however, and took the first set 6-4.
The second set belonged to the American. Svajda capitalised efficiently on his opponent's continued inconsistency, converting his break points and levelling the match at one set apiece with a 6-3 win. Suddenly the match was wide open — and the service statistics told the story: in that phase, Fils was winning far fewer return games than one would expect from a seeded player.
Fils turns it on — and never looks back
The deciding third set was then a statement of intent from the Frenchman. Fils found his best tennis, dominated on serve and gave Svajda almost no way into the match. The 6-1 scoreline in the deciding set reflected Fils' clear superiority in that phase. The statistics back up the picture: Fils won 56 per cent of all points overall, his first-serve percentage of 62 per cent was solid, and he converted a strong 81 per cent of points behind his first serve. He also saved 63 per cent of break points faced while converting 63 per cent of his own break point opportunities.
Svajda, by contrast, won just 23 per cent of return games — not enough to pose a sustained threat over three sets. With twelve aces, Fils underlined just how important his serve was in the crucial moments.
Context and what comes next
For Fils, advancing to the next round means more than just another tournament win. The Frenchman, coached by Goran Ivanisevic, has battled injury troubles this season, missed Roland Garros and suffered a first-round exit in Washington. A victory at the prestigious Masters 1000 event in Montreal — one of the key tune-up tournaments ahead of the US Open — therefore comes at exactly the right moment. Svajda, meanwhile, can take plenty of positives from the defeat: a Challenger title in San Diego and a surprise run to the round of 16 at the French Open point to a player very much on the rise.
