BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON, September 7, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
World No. 11 Arthur Fils of France is the latest world-class player to join the line-up for next month’s BNP Paribas Fortis European Open.
The 22-year-old French star will compete at the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event at the Brussels Expo from Oct. 17-25. He was a finalist at the 2023 event.
More recently, Fils won his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati last month and it lifted him to a career-best ranking.
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Tournament Director Dick Norman, for one, looks forward to welcoming Fils back to Belgium. “Arthur Fils has everything he needs to become one of the leading players in international tennis over the next few years,” he said in a statement. “His victory in Cincinnati shows that he is ready for the highest level. His game is powerful and fasts, and he plays with incredible energy.
“Whenever he steps onto the court, you feel that something can happen. We still remember his last appearance here very well, so it is fantastic news for our tournament that Belgian fans will get to see him up close again in October.”
Fils made his breakthrough on the ATP Tour three years ago, when he won his first title in Lyon. Titles in Hamburg and Tokyo soon followed. The French No. 1 made a strong start to the 2026 season and rose to form after reaching the semifinals at Masters 1000 events in Miami and Madrid. He won his fourth ATP Tour title at Barcelona in April.
However, the biggest moment of Fils’ young career came at the Cincinnati Open in August, when he defeated Frances Tiafoe of the United States in the final to win his fifth career ATP Tour title.
“After playing here in 2023, I am really looking forward to competing in front of the Belgian fans again,” Fils said in a statement. “I still remember how passionate they were and strongly they supported the players. I came very close to the title in 2023 but lost in the final. That experience gives me even more motivation to play my best tennis again this year.”
Besides Fils, others committed to this year’s Brussels tournament include: defending champion and current World No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, World No. 20 Casper Ruud of Norway, and Belgians David Goffin, Zizou Bergs and Rafael Collignon.
