Match Report
Fils follows in Noah’s footsteps with Indian Wells QF, Zverev advances
Frenchman advances to fourth Masters 1000 QF
March 10, 2026
Getty Images
Arthur Fils in action in Indian Wells on Tuesday.
By Sam Jacot
Arthur Fils became just the third Frenchman to reach consecutive quarter-finals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells on Tuesday, when he downed ninth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 7-6(9).
In a dramatic second set, Fils squandered a 4-2 lead before he rallied from 0/5 in the tie-break, saving five set points to eventually triumph in straight sets after one hour and 51 minutes. The 21-year-old beat his chest in celebration following his victory and then embraced the roars from the crowd.
“I was at 0/5 in the tie-break and I was going to my box and complaining and complaining. Ivan [Cinkus] was trying to tell me to stay focused and then Lapo [Becherini] was telling me to stop complaining,” Fils said. “Then a small voice in my head said maybe he is right and I should focus again and I tried to make him serve for it. I tried to focus as I could. Not too much emotion, celebration. Just tunnel vision and I am happy with it.”
Fils reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final in California 12 months ago. Since then, the 21-year-old has struggled with a back injury, missing last season’s grass swing before he curtailed his year at the start of August following a third-round exit in Toronto.
The three-time tour-level titlist made his return last month in Montpellier and has impressed during his comeback so far. He reached the final at the ATP 500 event in Doha and has looked red hot through his opening matches in Indian Wells.
The No. 32 player in the PIF ATP Rankings did not drop a set against Marton Fucsovics and Dino Prizmic and combined quality with an abundance of grit to battle past Auger-Aliassime. Fils has now earned eight Top 10 wins, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, with this his first since he beat Andrey Rublev in Monte-Carlo in 2025.
“[I am most pleased] with the way I finished the match,” Fils said. “Everyone is good at the start of the match, everyone can play great tennis. But when it matters the most, that is when you can see you are either a great competitor or back down and today I showed I was a tough competitor.”
By reaching the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the second consecutive year, Fils became the third Frenchman to achieve the feat in tournament history after 1982 champion Yannick Noah (1982-84, 1986-87) and Thierry Tulasne (1986-87). Fils will next meet Alexander Zverev.
Zverev cruised past American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-4 to earn his 100th Masters 1000 win on hard courts. The German made 70 per cent of his first serves and stood close to the baseline during the exchanges to take large cuts and dictate, improving to 9-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“I took control of the match,” Zverev said. “I felt I was dictating the rallies from the baseline and playing on my terms. I am really pleased with that. It is something I have been really open on and today it worked.”
Zverev has equalled his best result in Indian Wells and will now set his eyes on a maiden title in California. The 28-year-old is a seven-time Masters 1000 champion and is chasing his first trophy at this level since Paris in 2024.
