Arthur Fils saves championship point in Tokyo, snaps Ugo Humbert's flawless record in finals

Arthur Fils was the last man standing at the Japan Open, then, when he was finally able to, fell to the ground.

The 20-year-old earned his victorious respite after a thrilling, all-French final in Tokyo that saw him save a championship point and his compatriot take his first final-round defeat in seven tries.

“I was feeling, honestly, to be dead on the court,” said Fils after his 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-3 triumph. “He’s such a great champion—was very tough.”

Humbert is not a well-known champion outside tennis circles, but the 26-year-old lifted trophies twice this season and earned a veneer of invincibility in title matches. He came into Tuesday’s contest having dropped just one set in six finals, and none over his last five.

That trend appeared to continue against Fils, until this massive backhand winner at 5-6 in the second-set tiebreak:

“Everything in tennis can turn in one second,” Fils noted afterward.

That it did. For even after taking the next two points to force a decider, Fils needed to overcome an 0-3 record against Humbert (including two losses this season). On top of that, physical struggles hampered Fils’ movement for much of the second set.

Physically and mentally, Fils was the self-proclaimed “underdog” coming into this match (he appeared to hurt his leg as he put the finishing touches on Holger Rune in a 7-6 (8), 7-6 (10) semifinal). His week would have been called a success no matter what, with wins over the talented Dane, Ben Shelton, Matteo Berrettini (via retirement) and Taylor Fritz.

But Fils had some dog in him. He also had one last ace left in him, on match point, to avoid another taxing rally and start his celebration.

“I’m very happy with the tennis I’m producing,” he said after his fourth Top 20 win of the week. “I’m working a lot, I’m trying to build a lot, my tennis. It’s better and better.”

“I still have to improve, but it’s cool.”