Taylor Fritz came through a potential banana skin at the Paris Masters by defeating Arthur Fils in the round of 16.

Both men have been in good form coming into the final Masters 1000 event of the ATP Tour calendar, but it was the American who was victorious.

Fritz won in straight sets against Fils, toppling the Frenchman 6-3, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinals clash against Carlos Alcaraz next.

There has been much made about the courts at the Paris Masters this year, with the speeds increasing from the 2025 event, but Fritz believes there’s an issue that no one is talking about.

“These are the fastest courts of the year and I’m having 50-ball rallies out here. The courts need to be faster if we’re playing with these balls,” said Fritz after defeating Fils.

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“When the court index is medium with these balls, it’s unbearably slow. The court I played today (court two) was so much slower than the court yesterday (court one).

“Court One was absolute lightning compared to this court. We need to standardize the balls and courts—Dunlop balls need faster courts, Wilson balls can be medium or slower. We can simplify it and there wouldn’t be any concerns.”

Fritz is often outspoken about the quality of tennis balls on the ATP Tour and he has also outlined the key differences between the last two tournaments he’s played.

The American previously played the Swiss Indoors, which many were suggesting was also incredibly slow.

Taking to X just hours before his match against Fils, Fritz outlined the differences between the Basel and Paris tournaments.

The American said: [There is a] “slight altitude in Basel – ball was moving through the air and off the racket a lot faster there. Feels heavier on the racket in Paris even though it’s same ball.”

No matter the conditions, though, it is clear that Fritz is playing very good tennis as the ATP Tour season reaches its culmination.

Fritz is currently in a battle with his compatriot Tommy Paul for the final remaining place. He needs to reach the semifinals of the competition and hope that Paul doesn’t reach the final.

If both Paul and Fritz reach the final of the Paris Masters, Fritz would need to win the match and the title to gain qualification to the ATP Finals.

Fritz has played the year-end tournament in five of the last six years, so it would be a major surprise if he does not end up playing the ATP Finals this year.