[Singles Quarterfinal]
Valentin Vacherot (Monaco) [8] def. Arthur Fils (France), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4

■ Fils broke his opponent's serve first in the fifth game of the opening set. He did the same in the fifth game of the third set to take an early lead. On both occasions, however, he was unable to hold on and was eventually overtaken. Fils struggled to hold serve throughout the match. Even when his first serve landed wide, Vacherot repeatedly managed to counter with his long reach. On Fils's second serve, Vacherot unleashed powerful returns that forced Fils onto the defensive.

■ Fils had faced Vacherot just once before, earlier this year in Miami (ATP Masters 1000, USA), where Fils narrowly won 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4. In that match, Fils won 68% of points behind his second serve. On this occasion, that figure fell to 49%, while his double faults increased sharply from three in Miami to eight. Those numbers illustrate how Fils's game unraveled under the pressure of Vacherot's returns. “It came down to a few points. There were moments when I should have closed it out, but I couldn't, and he came back,” Fils said. “He was serving well. I wasn't able to do the same. That's the difference that cost me the match.” Fils was brief when discussing the reasons for his defeat.

(Japan Tennis Association)