Paris Masters star taunts fans with three-word message on TV camera

Arthur Fils sent a cheeky message to some viewers after winning a match in Paris for the first time in his career.

The world No. 20 beat Marin Cilic to advance to the second round of the Paris Masters for the first time.

But there was something else on Fils' mind post-match, as he used his celebratory camera lens signing to taunt Olympique de Marseille fans.

Fils celebrated a mini milestone on Tuesday by earning a victory in the French capital. The 20-year-old came into this week's tournament having never won a singles match at the French Open or the Paris Masters.

But he finally broke his duck against Cilic, coming through 7-6(5) 6-4. And he had a fitting way to celebrate his first win in Paris, paying homage to PSG.

An avid supporter, Fils was clearly delighted by his beloved club's result against Marseille over the weekend and took the opportunity to celebrate PSG's triumph on Tuesday.

Fils signed the camera lens as one of his obligations for winning the match and rubbed salt in the wounds of Marseille's followers. "3-0. This is Paris," he wrote.

His message caused a stir online, with some OM supporters joking that they preferred fellow rising French tennis star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. But it will likely go down well with the Parisian crowd.

After the match, Fils admitted he was relieved to finally win a match in the French capital. "I'm delighted. I'm also relieved," he said.

"I hadn't won a match in Paris for two years. Actually, I never won a single match in Paris, so I'm very glad to have won.

"It was not easy. It was tough, but I managed to get out and win and to reach the second round."

The world No. 20 will now be hoping to get his second singles win in Paris when he faces Jan-Lennard Struff in the next round. Although Fils previously had no success in the city, he had a great record elsewhere in his home country.

The Frenchman reached his first ATP Tour semi-final in Montpellier last year when he was a wildcard ranked outside of the world's top 150 and followed it up with another semi-final run in Marseille days later.

Fils' maiden title also came on French soil. He won the 2023 Lyon Open and broke into the top 100 as a result. Since then, he's gone on to lift two more trophies and cracked the world's top 20.