The young Frenchman Arthur Fils triumphed on Tuesday, for his first match at the US Open, over the seeded N.24, the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, after a marathon match, won 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5. This is the first Grand Slam victory in the career of the 19-year-old Ile-de-France resident and considered a great hope for French tennis.
Once the success was achieved, the 48th player in the world fell on his back, his arms crossed. After a warm embrace with his opponent, he let out a long, victorious cry. Led one set to nothing, then two sets to one, Arthur Fils managed to get back into the match each time, mastering his nerves to win after 3h58 of play, he who had never played a match in five sets.
The recent winner of the Lyon tournament in May even had to deal with cramps during the fourth set, which saw him drop three games in a row after starting with a bang (3-1). He bounced back again, thanks to his generous tennis and his sometimes devastating forehand, without showing the slightest sign of feverishness.
In the fifth set, the two opponents went blow for blow, before Son snatched a break on a double fault from Griekspoor, then ended up concluding on his engagement. In the second round, the one who was still in 252nd place in the world in January will face the Italian Matteo Arnaldi, 61st player in the world, qualified after the abandonment of the Australian Jason Kubler, injured in his knee.