Fritz into Basel semi-finals after Fils abandons
The American was leading 6-2, 2-0 when the French world number eight retired due to a potential back issue.
Basel Open quarter-final match between Taylor Fritz and Arthur Fils ended abruptly on Friday when the French player Fils retired due to a potential back issue. Fritz, an American, was leading the match 6-2, 2-0 at the time. Fils sought treatment from the doctor in the first set due to discomfort in his lower back, forcing him to leave the court for a few minutes.
This unfortunate incident comes at a challenging moment for Fritz, as he is currently seventh in the ATP Finals race and is set to participate in his home Masters tournament in Paris next week. Fritz, who was considered an outsider to reach the season-ending Finals at 12th in the race, will face Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in the semi-finals.
Vacherot had previously defeated Holger Rune in the quarter-finals, putting an end to Rune's run due to a lengthy injury lay-off. The other semi-final will pit Jiri Lehecka against either Jan-Lennard Struff or Nuno Borges.
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Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Fritz into Basel semi-finals after Fils abandons freemalaysiatoday.com
