Fasten your seatbelts for a high-octane clash in Jeddah! France’s Arthur Fils is all set to take on the Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik on Day 2 of the Next Gen ATP Finals. Both these players are entering this contest after a disappointing loss on Day 1. The loser of this match will fall to a 0-2 in the round-robin, and this will indeed put a severe blow to their chances of progressing to the SF. Last year, we saw Arthur Fils making it to the final of this tournament. Can he yet again make a deep run or will Mensik put an end to his hopes on Thursday?

Arthur Fils vs Jakub Mensik: Preview

Arthur Fils has had a tremendous season in 2024! He has won three titles this season. The first one came at the Challenger Bordeaux, FR where he defeated Spain’s Pedro Martinez. Then the next one came at the German Open where he defeated the current world number 2, Alexander Zverev by 6-3,3-6,7-6(1). After that, his third title triumph came at the Japan Open, where he defeated his compatriot, Ugo Humbert in a three-set thriller. However, Arthur Fils is entering this match after facing a defeat at the hands of the 18-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca in the first match. Fonseca defeated Fils by(9)-4,4-2,4-1,1-4,4-1.

Jakub Mensik started his season by reaching the final of the Challenger Canberra, AU. After that, he made it to the final at the Qatar Open, but over there he was defeated by Karen Khachanov (RUS) in two sets. Mensik is entering this match after facing a grueling defeat at the hands of America’s Learner Tien in the first match. Tien defeated the Czech star by 4-3(6),4-3(3),2-4,2-4,4-3(8).

Fils vs Mensik: Head-to-Head

Surprisingly these two super-talented tennis players haven’t yet faced each other on the Tour. After facing defeat in their first match, both of them will be keen to make a quick turnaround in the next, but who’ll have the last laugh in their first encounter?

Prediction: Fils to win this match in four sets

We’re expecting a fight in this contest! After earning his debut at the Next Gen ATP Finals, we saw Jakub Mensik say, “It was one of my biggest goals to reach this event before the season.” This tells us how much this tournament means to this 19-year-old Czech. Both Arthur Fils and Jakub Mensik are among the heaviest hitters in the game. However, looking at Fils’ form this season, we’re keeping him slightly ahead in this contest. Arthur Fils (20) has already had three wins against the Top 10 this year and if we take at his win-loss record, it’s currently 37-26. On the other hand, it’s just 24-17 for Jakub Mensik (48).

Now, shifting our focus to their playing styles, Arthur Fils is a powerful player who loves using his serve and forehand to quickly finish off the points. He has hit 364 aces this season and committed around 198 double faults. This 20-year-old Frenchman loves playing an aggressive brand of tennis. He’ll be looking forward to dictating the play right from the start. So, it’ll be a big challenge for Jakub Mensik to stop the Frenchman from playing his natural dominating style of play.

On the other hand, Jakub Mensik’s game consists of commanding serves along with precise drop shots as well. He loves serving big and is also a big return of the ball and this is what makes him one of the most formidable opponents on the court. Talking about his serves, do you know Mensik hit 24 aces and comminuted just 2 double faults in his previous match against Tien? Overall he has hit 380 aces this season! Apart from that he also has a decent backhand down-the-line shot which can cause a few troubles for the Frenchman, but will it be enough to keep Arthur Fils away from the victory in this match? Not quite likely, since Arthur Fils has answer to most of what Mensik has got in his armory. It’s going to be a tough contest for sure, but Fils appears to have an edge based on our analysis of the player’s game. Who do you think will win?