Arthur Fils breaks Rafael Nadal Masters 1000 record with scintillating Monte Carlo win

Oli Dickson Jefford 10 Apr 2025 1:49 PM

Arthur Fils celebrates during a match.

Arthur Fils is flying in Monte Carlo.

A dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over seventh seed and 2023 champion Andrey Rublev has sent Fils into his first quarter-final at the Masters 1000.

Aged 20, the Frenchman has long been touted as one of the game’s brightest talents – and now he has broken a stunning Rafael Nadal record.

Since the Masters 1000 format was introduced in 1990, Fils is now the youngest player to reach at least the quarter-final of the first three Masters events of the year.

5) Andy Murray – 21 years, 333 days (2009)

Having won both the Cincinnati Open and Madrid Open the previous year, future world No 1 Murray got his Masters 1000 season off to a strong start in 2009.

Seeded fourth in Indian Wells, Murray would go on to reach his sole final at the tournament, beating Roger Federer in the last four before losing to Nadal in the championship match.

However, the Brit went one better in Miami, lifting the title for the first time thanks to consecutive wins over Fernando Verdasco, Juan Martin del Potro, and Novak Djokovic.

Murray then went on to reach the first of three semi-finals in Monte Carlo, losing to eventual champion Nadal.

4) Novak Djokovic – 21 years, 326 days (2009)

Just one week younger than Murray, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic also reached the Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo quarter-finals as a 21-year-old in 2009.

Djokovic was the defending champion in Indian Wells and reached the quarter-final for a third straight year, though he was beaten in straight sets by Andy Roddick.

The Serbian then made the last eight in Miami and ultimately made the final following wins over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Federer – before a loss to Murray.

He was also beaten in the Monte Carlo final that spring, recording wins over Verdasco and Wawrinka before falling to Nadal in the final.

3) Rafael Nadal – 21 years, 321 days (2008)

The first of two Nadal appearances on this list, the Spaniard reached at least the last eight of all three events back in 2008.

Defending his Indian Wells title, the 22-time major champion reached a third straight quarter-final and ultimately a third straight semi-final in the desert, before losing to Djokovic.

Nadal then made it to his second Miami Open final weeks later, with victories over the likes of James Blake and Tomas Berdych before tasting defeat to Nikolay Davydenko.

However, he would then claim his first Masters title of the year – and a fourth straight Monte Carlo title – in April, downing David Ferrer and Davydenko before a triumph over Federer.

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2) Rafael Nadal – 20 years, 316 days (2007)

Until now, Nadal’s run in 2008 was only beaten by his exploits as a 20-year-old the previous year.

Nadal started his Masters 1000 year by winning his first of three Indian Wells titles, beating both Roddick and Djokovic to seal victory.

That was then followed by him reaching a second quarter-final in Miami, beating a young del Potro in the round of 16 before losing to eventual champion Djokovic in the last eight.

Unsurprisingly, he then stormed to another title in Monte Carlo – defeating Federer in the final.

1) Arthur Fils – 20 years, 298 days (2025)

Fils had never reached a single Masters 1000 quarter-final before 2025 – but has now reached three in a row to kickstart his season.

Seeded 20th in Indian Wells, the Frenchman beat the likes of Lorenzo Musetti to reach his first Masters quarter-final in Tennis Paradise – falling to Daniil Medvedev in a three-set thriller.

The 20-year-old then made a second quarter-final just weeks later at the Miami Open, stunning top seed Alexander Zverev in the fourth round before losing to eventual champion Jakub Mensik.

Now, Fils has beaten Tallon Griekspoor, Flavio Cobolli and seventh seed Rublev to reach his third straight Masters quarter-final in Monte Carlo – making history in the process.