Preview: Madrid Open: Jannik Sinner vs. Arthur Fils - prediction, head-to-head, tournament so far

Heading into his ninth different Masters 1000 semi-final, Jannik Sinner now aims to reach Sunday’s Madrid Open final by beating Arthur Fils on Friday.

The Italian superstar emulated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev with Wednesday’s success, and he will hope to deliver a higher-level performance against his French opponent in the last four.

Match preview

Much was said before Sinner and Rafael Jodar faced off for the first time on the ATP Tour, and the Spanish teenager showed his quality by pushing Sinner to his limits on Wednesday.

While the top seed claimed the opening set 6-2, it was far closer than the score suggested; the second, however, was a fair reflection of proceedings, as the 19-year-old forced Sinner to play breathtakingly clutch tennis to save a surfeit of break-point chances the home player engineered.

All that played out before the tour's leading player reeled off the final 11 points of the second set, including the shootout to seal a 21st consecutive triumph and 26th at Masters 1000 level, dating back to last year's run in Paris.

Unbeaten in a completed match at this level since falling to Carlos Alcaraz in Rome last year, Sinner heads into Friday's semi-final having not lost a concluded match at ATP 1000 tournaments in nearly a year, underlining his hallowed consistency.

Barely dropping a set during his ongoing run at Masters level — only Tomas Machac and Benjamin Bonzi have taken a set off the top seed in the last five ATP 1000 tournaments — the first-time semi-finalist in Madrid seeks another success to reach Sunday's title match.

© Iconsport / AFLO

Like Sinner, Fils is a first-time semi-finalist in the Spanish capital, even if the effervescent Frenchman had fared worse than the No. 1 seed in previous appearances.

The 21-year-old entered this year’s tournament on the back of two second-round exits in 2024 and 2025, having never claimed a win at the ATP 1000 tournament.

However, the world No. 25 has now reeled off four consecutive wins, including a battling second-round win over Ignacio Buse that required clutch play from the four-time ATP champion to win 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-5.

Overcoming that slow start has been pivotal to reaching the last four in Madrid, with Fils not dropping a set since his tournament-opening success, setting up a mouthwatering meeting with the No. 1 seed.

Wednesday night’s 6-3, 6-4 win was Fils' 11th at Masters 1000 level in 2026 — only Sinner (21) and Zverev (14) have more — underscoring why the 21-year-old will back himself to snap Sinner's winning streak at this level.

Tournament so far

Jannik Sinner:

First round: Bye 

Second round: vs. Benjamin Bonzi 6-7[6] 6-1 6-4

Third round: vs. Elmer Moller 6-2 6-3

Fourth round: vs. Cameron Norrie 6-2 7-5

Quarter-final: vs. Rafael Jodar 6-2 7-6[0]

Arthur Fils:

First round: Bye

Second round: vs. Ignacio Buse 6-7[4] 7-6[4] 7-5

Third round: vs. Emilio Nava 7-6[2] 6-3

Fourth round: vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3 6-4

Quarter-final: vs. Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-4

Head To Head

Montpellier (2023) - Semi-final: Sinner 7-5 6-2

Friday's semi-final will mark Sinner's first meeting with Fils in three years, with much having changed for both men since their 2023 indoor meeting in Montpellier.

Sinner heads into the semi-final on a 21-match winning streak, but he will be tested by the former world No. 14, who is unbeaten since losing to Lehecka in Miami and has claimed nine consecutive triumphs.

The Barcelona champion is hitherto unbeaten on clay this year and aims to extend that winning streak at his Italian opponent's expense.

We say: Sinner to win in three sets

Fils looks capable of taking a set with the way he has been striking the ball and competing at Masters 1000 level this season, yet Sinner’s consistency, return quality and ability to raise his level under pressure ought to carry him through to another title match.