Stat of the Day: Arthur Fils becomes first man born in 2004 or later to reach an ATP quarterfinal

Eighteen-year-old Arthur Fils has become the first man born in 2004 or later to reach the quarterfinals of an ATP event, after defeating a pair of former Top 10 players to reach the last eight in Montpellier.

The No. 163-ranked Frenchman, who’s a wild card into the draw at the ATP 250 indoor event this week, took out former No. 7 Richard Gasquet in the first round on Monday, 7-5, 7-5, and then former No. 9 Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round today, 6-3, 6-4.

Gasquet and Bautista Agut are currently ranked No. 45 and No. 24.

Fils’ two wins in Montpellier have actually been just the second and third tour-level matches he’s ever played. His first tour-level match came at the Masters 1000 event in Paris last year, where he fell to another former Top 10 player, Fabio Fognini, in a 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-2 first-round battle—after having beaten the former No. 9 in qualies.

Against Bautista Agut on Wednesday, Fils was twice down an early break in the first set but snuck out a one-set lead, then broke in the opening game of the second set and never looked back.

“I had one plan and I realized it,” he said afterwards. “I was playing with no mistakes, a lot of winners, and sometimes a big serve—so it was a plan and I respect him really good, and that’s about it.”

Fils, who was born on June 12th, 2004, isn’t just the first man born in 2004 or later to reach an ATP quarterfinal, he’s actually the first man born after Carlos Alcaraz to do it—Alcaraz was born May 5th, 2003.

The Frenchman, who went as high as No. 3 in the juniors, began his 2023 season at No. 252 on the ATP rankings—but he went 9-1 in Challengers in January, winning a title in Oeiras, Portugal and reaching a final in Quimper, France (finishing runner-up to Gregoire Barrere), and he comes into Montpellier at a career-high of No. 163.

He’s projected to make his Top 150 debut with his results so far this week, and with another win he could break into the Top 120.

He’ll play either Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or countryman Quentin Halys in the quarterfinals of the indoor event on Friday.