Mar 26, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexander Zverev (GER) acknowledges the fans while leaving the court after his match against Arthur Fils (FRA)(not pictured) on day nine of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

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Alexander Zverev Knocked Out of Miami Open 2025 By Resilient Arthur Fils

The German World No. 2 has not crossed the QF stage since the Australian Open.

Top seed Alexander Zverev had to pack his bags in the Miami Open Round of 16, owing to an awe-inspiring performance by Frenchman Arthur Fils. It was a thrilling battle on Stadium Court on Wednesday, with the 20-year-old coming through to book a spot in the last eight – where he will face Jakub Mensik.

Zverev came into the tournament hunting for some momentum; ever since Jannik Sinner’s suspension, the pressure has been on the German to take charge as the top ATP player. However, he has not been able to capitalise thus far. Despite some troublesome back issues, it was Fils who emerged victorious in two hours.

Fils Battles From a Set Down to Overcome Alexander Zverev in Miami

It was the big serving 27-year-old who saved break points before comfortably claiming the first set 6-3. This was followed by a medical treatment for Fils – the French prodigy was facing some back pain during the match. However, he returned with newfound aggression and intensity, striking the ball more fiercely than ever.

World No. 18 Fils, who revealed that he has been battling back problems since a very young age, showed no signs of taking a step back. The flustered German was being worn down, and eventually couldn’t keep up anymore. Despite being up by break at 3-1 in the decider, Sascha was broken twice before Fils served out the match.

The final score line was 3-6 6-3 6-4 in favour of Fils, who had also beaten Zverev in his home tournament at Hamburg last year.

”I Was Not Feeling Great..”: Fils Reveals Struggles After Big Win

"I thought it was over" 😱

Arthur Fils describes the mindset that helped him earn his biggest career win from down a break in the third against Zverev. #MiamiOpen pic.twitter.com/0lSphLPh5T
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 26, 2025

Having reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells 2025 as well, Arthur Fils is just the third Frenchman after Yannick Noah and Gael Monfils to reach the final eight at both ‘Sunshine Double’ competitions in the same year. However, it wasn’t an easy path. “I was not feeling great in the rallies,” the 2024 Hamburg champion revealed.

Fils, currently at No. 15 in the live rankings, will rise above his career-best ranking of No. 18 regardless of his quarterfinal result. “I had to find a rhythm, [be] more aggressive and come into the court to play my game and not let him play. Because when you let him play he’s one of the best tennis players in the world. I’m really happy about the way I did it,” he said.

Arthur Fils takes on Jakub Mensik on Thursday for a spot in the semifinals.

Alexander Zverev

Arthur Fils

ATP Masters 1000

Miami Open

Tennis

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.