To be fair, Jakub Mensik had a lot easier path to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open than Arthur Fils did. That is to take nothing away from the 19-year-old Czech who is clearly on his way to climbing the rankings on the ATP tour. But in the match with Fils, the Frenchman simply ran out of proverbial gas.
Mensik defeated Jack Draper on his way to the quarters, so he had some quality victories. In the round of 16, though, he had a walkover against fellow Czech Tomáš Macháč. This gave Mensik a day of rest he did not expect. Meanwhile, Fils was battling his way through three-set victories against Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev.
If the field had been even, would Fils have had a real chance against Mensik? Maybe. The truth is, the Czech has been playing brilliant tennis of late and appears to be on the verge of a top-20 breakthrough. He moves well, hits with power, and is gaining confidence.
Jakub Mensik defeats Arthur Fils in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Miami Open
That makes him dangerous against any player. He will next play Taylor Fritz or Matteo Berrettini on Friday in the semifinals. Whoever he faces will face a player who has the skills to be great and might just be reaching the beginning of his maximum ability.
Fils never really had a chance. Sure, the first set was close, but one had a feeling that if the Frenchman lost the opening set in all his exhaustion, he would have little chance to win the next two sets. Plus, Mensik was outplaying him. After dropping the first set 7-6(5), Fils was a shell of himself in losing the second set 6-1.
Mensik was the more aggressive player and finished with 26 winners against 23 unforced errors, while Fils was 19 and 19. The second set was far more one-sided. In a way, due to Fils' physical tiredness and inability to play well in set two, Mensik will be the fresher of whoever he faces in the semis.
Reaching the semifinals also marked an accomplishment for the Czech player. It is the first semi he will see at a Masters 1000 tournament. Likely, the first of many.