Stefanos Tsitsipas and Arthur Fils in heated Italian Open handshake as umpire steps in

Fils said he used a ‘body shot’ from Tsitsipas as his motivation to fight as he came from behind to win

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Arthur Fils were involved in a heated handshake as the players argued over a contentious body shot following their Italian Open clash in Rome.

Frenchman Fils progressed to the fourth round after coming from behind to defeat the Greek Tsitsipas 2-6 6-4 6-2, with Fils putting away a forehand winner on match point.

But there was tension at the net as the players went to shake hands, with Fils and Tsitsipas exchanging words and the umpire stepping in as the discussion appeared to become more animated.

The argument continued as the crowd started to jeer, but it then appeared to reach a resolution as Fils put his arm on Tsitsipas’ shoulder and the umpire said “good job guys, good job”.

Earlier in the match, Tsitsipas had struck Fils with a body shot as the ball sat up for a drive volley close to the net, but the Frenchman said he did not have a problem with it.

But it helped Fils mount a comeback, as the 20-year-old came from behind to extend his perfect record against the 26-year-old Tsitsipas with his fourth win in a row against him.

Fils was asked about the incident and the handshake in his on-court interview after the win and explained that he used the body shot for motivation to fight from behind.

“I like him. He’s a great guy. A great champion,” Fils said of Tsitsipas. “It was a bit tight in the middle of the second set. He went for my body. It’s part of the game. There’s nothing wrong with it.

“I tried to find a way to fight. I found this kind of excuse to go and to fight. Ok, he told me at the end he wasn’t going for my body. I told him ‘I know it.’ It’s ok. It’s all good. I just needed to find a way to fight.”

Fils, the 13th seed, will play either second seed Alexander Zverev or qualifier Vilius Gaubas in the fourth round for a place in the quarter-finals of the Masters 1000 event.