Barcelona Open Final Round-up | Arthur Fils continues to impress as he defeats Andrey Rublev in dramatic final showdown

 Arthur Fils' fine form continues on the big stage. He gets over the edge on a tense and dramatic final against Andrey Rublev, winning 6-2, 7-6(2) for his fourth ATP title at the Barcelona Open. 

Fils chose to sit out of the Monte-Carlo Masters to prepare for this tournament. It seems to have been an inspired decision as he beat out a stacked field of competitors, including Rublev, to win the title. He streaked ahead in the first set before looking like he was going to confirm a comfortable title win. However, back cane Rublev who at the end of an incredible comeback fluffed his lines. Fils eventually got the job done in a tiebreak.

Fils overcomes edgy ending to seal the title

Rublev came out of the blocks the faster, breaking the serve enroute to a 2-0 lead. The Russian had made a name for himself in these ATP 500 tournaments. This was his 12th final at this level having won six of them. He was desperate to get another one over the line but would have to be wary of a charging Fils.

The Frenchman was ruthless in the next six games. He turned up the heat, breaking with his fourth break point to get the match level at 2-2. This was just the start of a remarkable comeback in this set.

He would win 15 of the next 16 points, finding himself 40-0 to the good as he looked to get this first set done and dusted. A shell-shocked Rublev, on serve, managed to force deuce but Fils proved too good and got that first set all to his own as he made a huge stride towards silverware in Catalonia.

In an almost repeat of the first set, Rublev almost had the chance to move a break to the good, He blew a 0-40 advantage as Fils looked to respond ruthlessly. He got seven separate chances to break in a game with 10 deuces but failed to take any of his chances. Fils would be the one regretting missed chance as Rublev kept level pegging.

Three games later, Fils would move 5-2 ahead thanks to a three-game burst. The final looked like it was almost certainly going to see this out. Rublev did his best efforts to prevent this match from ending. He forced Fils to serve it out before breaking to go 5-4 behind. Fils then created three championship points on the Rublev serve but all of them were wasted. The Russian managed to claw back the disadvantage in an incredible turnaround.

It was not done yet, Rublev broke once more, making it four consecutive games going his way as it was now his turn to serve the set out. Another dramatic twist in this topsy turvey final came when Fils broke back, forcing a tiebreak for the second set. Fils raced ahead, creating a number of match points. He did not faff around this time, sealing the title in Spain as he continues his fine form.