Tommy Paul had every reason to be frustrated after losing a thrilling contest to Arthur Fils in Miami.
The Frenchman fought back from a set down to defeat the home favourite 6-7(3-7), 7-6(7-4), 7-6(8-6) in a match that lasted two hours and 47 minutes.
Ranked 31st in the world, Fils saved four match points, turning around a 2/6 deficit in the final-set tie-break by winning six points on the bounce. Arthur Fils got past Tommy Paul in Miami Open tie-break duel
Paul said after the defeat: "We were both hitting through the court a lot, both hitting the ball with a lot of speed.
"I had a lot more looks earlier on in his service games and he had a couple of looks there at the very end.
"But for the most part both of us were taking care of our serves. The breakers decided the match.
"In the third, he was able to close out the match and I wasn't. Obviously, we always want more as players.
"Unless you leave with the trophy, you're not ever really satisfied."
Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
Fils has been in incredible form lately, especially considering that before February, he'd only played twice in nine months due to a back injury.
Since coming back, the 21-year-old has made it all the way to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, which is probably more than even he expected so soon.
Now he faces Jiri Lehecka for a place in the Miami final, where Jannik Sinner or Alexander Zverev could be waiting on the other side if he gets through.
A matchup between Fils and Sinner would be fascinating. The Frenchman has shown signs that he could eventually compete with both Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the game.
Sinner and Alcaraz have had a strong hold on men's tennis recently, and not many have really threatened their position at the top.
But Fils has already reached an ATP final since coming back from injury – losing to Alcaraz in Qatar – and made it to the quarters at Indian Wells. In Miami, he gave Stefanos Tsitsipas one of his worst-ever losses as well.
The talent is clear, and as Fils gets more time on court after his long layoff, there's every reason to believe he'll only get better. At 21 years old, there's plenty of time for him to round out his game.
He does have some work ahead, though. He's yet to beat Alcaraz in three attempts and lost his only meeting with Sinner so far. Those are records he'll want to improve on soon.
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