Early on in Saturday’s semifinal it looked like Jodar’s hot streak would continue, as the 19-year-old not only took the first set, but brought up double break point with Fils serving at 1-all, 15-40 in the second set.
But Fils fought off both break points and held, and after a few more holds, the Frenchman caught fire himself, winning three games in a row from 3-all to clinch the second set and send it to a third.
And he picked up right where he left off at the end of the second set in the decider, grabbing an early break for 2-1—and eventually another one for a 5-2, double-break lead—to run away with it.
“On the TV you don’t really realize how strong he is hitting,” Fils said of Jodar. “The ball is flying and going very fast, a very heavy ball. It took me one set to get used to his quality, and then after I felt a bit better and I finished very, very strong. I was feeling very, very good.
“But he is going to be a pain in the ass to play.”
Fils is now a win away from the equal-biggest title of his career, having already captured two ATP 500 crowns, both in 2024, on the clay courts of Hamburg and on hard courts in Tokyo.
He also has another title, an ATP 250, on the clay of Lyon in 2023.
