PLAYING the role of party pooper perfectly, NextGen ATP Frenchman Arthur Fils denied compatriot Ugo Humbert a rare slice of history in Tokyo. Humbert was gunning to become the first player in tennis history to win his first seven ATP Tour finals, being one of three who had achieved half a dozen straight.

Incredibly, Humbert came within one point of collecting the standalone record at the ATP 500 event, when he held championship point during the second set tiebreaker. Up 7-5 and then at 6-6 being 6-5 up in the tiebreaker, Humbert failed to convert the championship point, and his younger opponent won the last three points of the set to set up a decider.

Fils was simply incredible, overcoming a myriad of injury issues throughout the tournament – largely cramping but also a lower leg complaint in the final. Holding pole position in the race to the NextGen ATP Finals, the 20-year-old came back against the odds to win 5-7 7-6 6-3 and secure his third tour-level title.

“Honestly I don’t know [how I turned it around],” Fils said post-match. “After 5-all in the first, I was feeling dead on the court. He was playing unbelievable shots. It was a very tight first set. I got a lot of break points and didn’t break. He’s such a great champion and it was very tough.

“I tried my best into the second set and then I saved one match point. Everything in tennis can turn in only one second, and it turned. So I’m very happy, but I could have lost today.”

Fils’ run to the title was nothing short of sensational. The Frenchman knocked off four Top 20 opponents in American duo Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, Dane Holger Rune and Humbert, as well as former Top 10er Matteo Berrettini who had been in fantastic form.

The young Frenchman had only won one set in four encounters against Humbert in the past, all of which had come in the past two seasons. That looked set to continue in the final, before the world number 24 hit top gear and showed all of his potential which was on display in Hamburg where he upset top seed and local hope Alexander Zverev back in July.

“I’m very happy about the tennis I’m producing,” Fils said. “I’m working a lot and trying to build my tennis. I think now it’s better, from Hamburg to here. I still have to improve but it’s cool.”

Looking across the match, Fils weathered 13 aces off Humbert’s racquet, serving 10 of his own, all while winning 80 and 58 per cent of his first and second serve points compared to Humbert’s 70 and 44 per cent respectively.

Fils is scheduled to play in Shanghai which starts Friday, but as 21st seed, the Frenchman luckily has the bye. He will take on the winner of the all-Spanish duo between Roberto Bautista Agut and Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round.

Humbert also has a bye as 16th seed, and will play either compatriot Arthur Cazaux or Croatian veteran Marin Cilic – who recently became the lowest ranked ATP player to win a tour-level title at 770th in the world while playing in Hangzhou – in the Round of 64.