Czech 19-year-old prodigy Jakub Mensik dismantled Arthur Fils 7-6(5) 6-1 in the Miami Open Quartefinals to punch his ticket to his first Masters 1000 semifinal.
Mensik’s clash with Fils marked the youngest Masters 1000 quarter-final since Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune met at the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters. The 20-year-old Frenchman, Fils, had battled through grueling three-set victories against Frances Tiafoe and Alexander Zverev in earlier rounds but struggled to find the same level of intensity against Mensik.
After building a 4-1 lead in the opening set, Mensik saw his advantage slip, eventually finding himself at 5-5, 15/40 on his serve. However, he held his nerve to clinch the set in a tie-break, winning six of the last eight points. His ability to calm the storm and pull the set out showed incredible mental toughness beyond his years. Riding that momentum, he dominated the second set, sealing victory in just 75 minutes while striking 26 winners, including 13 aces, as per Infosys ATP Stats.
“It feels incredible. I think the biggest result so far in my career, so I’m glad I just kept going since the first round,” said Mensik. “That’s the key, to keep the focus during the two weeks, because it’s always tough… The job is not done.”
“Before each season, I set goals that I want to accomplish,” Mensik explained. “I have an incredible team that works tirelessly, and that’s the key. Whether we have great weeks or tough ones, we keep working hard, and now we’re seeing the results.”
As the first Czech player to reach a Miami Open semi-final since Tomas Berdych in 2015, Mensik is now set to face either third seed Taylor Fritz or 29th seed Matteo Berrettini in the next round. His strong performance in Miami has propelled him 20 places up to No. 34 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
