It’s safe to say that Arthur Fils is the ATP’s Comeback Player of the Year so far in 2026.
Late Wednesday evening at the Miami Open, the 21-year-old halted an 0-4 record in ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals by rising to the occasion with one foot out the door.
Down 6-2 in a deciding tiebreak with Tommy Paul, Fils ran off the next six points to complete a dramatic 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6) victory against the Boca Raton, Fla. resident. There were no breaks of serve throughout the two-hour-and-49-minute tussle, and the Frenchman’s lone break point was a match point, at 5-6 in the third set, when Paul’s 40-0 lead on serve evaporated.
With the notable exception of the conclusion, Paul was brilliant. He was more aggressive than usual, answering Fils’ heavy and spinny shotmaking with his own brand of artillery. The points were breathtaking battles, full of gusto and guts. When Paul saved a match point and earned four of his own, victory appeared certain.
But in the moments that mattered most, Fils didn’t blink.
