Good morning, Court Theorists! ☕️
Today’s tennis mood: Happy for a return + ready for something new.
Let’s tennis!
-Allen
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🎾 The return: Arthur Fils won his first match since August, after taking down countryman Valentin Royer, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2. He showed up looking fresh, in style, ready to play — and to have some fun.
What he said: “I was running a lot, and my legs feel it now, but I am very happy to win. It has been a long time out of the court and [to have] an atmosphere like this was [amazing], Fils said after the match. “At the end of the first set, I felt pretty good. Then the second set started, and I felt a bit worse, but I finished very strongly... I had so much fun. I was talking to my box. I am enjoying this. It has been a long time.”
Yes, but: More than a few of us wouldn’t mind if he didn’t do so much sliding around on the hard court, given the lower back stress fracture that has sidelined him more than once — including the last five months. 🙏🏻
🎾 Big win: Hailey Baptiste scored her fourth career top 20 win after coming through a rollercoaster of a three-setter against Emma Navarro. Baptiste took down the fourth seed in the second round of Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 7-6. 0-6, 6-3, noting that this match was about grinding, typically a winning formula for Navarro.
What she said: “I just had to grind and keep digging and digging,” Baptiste said after the match. “Obviously, the second set was not great for me, but I’m really happy I was able to turn it around. I just left the court to reset, I didn’t really tell myself much — I never really leave the court, so me doing that was enough to reset.”
Next: Baptiste will face Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals.
🎾 One to watch: Moise Kouame vs. Aleksandar Kovacevic (1st rd - ATP 250 - Montpellier): Watch this one for the new kid on the block. That’s Kouame, the 16-year-old from France, who came through qualifying to make the main draw.
Be in the know: Read the Tick Tock Tennis Daily Intel report from yesterday on Kouame and impress your tennis friends with how much you already know about him. (And sign up for the newsletter while you’re there!)
The record: This will be the first time Moise Kouame and Aleksandar Kovacevic face each other.
On the line: For Kouame, this is about getting experience at the ATP Tour level, although there’s little doubt he will do his best to make the most of this opportunity.
And that’s game.
