24 August,2026 08:20 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Arthur Fils (Pic: AFP)
French tennis player Arthur Fils delivered a commanding performance to beat home favourite Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 in Sunday's Cincinnati Open men's singles final, lifting his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy and achieving the biggest milestone of his career.
The 22-year-old broke Tiafoe's serve four times out of eight opportunities, snapping a 12-year title drought for French players at the Masters 1000 level. Fils reached the final in Cincinnati following impressive semi-final runs in Miami and Madrid earlier this season.
After defeating World No. 10 Flavio Cobolli in the last four, he relied heavily on his forehand to secure the first and third sets. In doing so, he became just the second player born in 2004 or later to capture a Masters 1000 crown, following Jakub Mensik's triumph in Miami in 2025.
The championship match began with Fils' immediate dominance, surging to a 3-0 lead before wrapping up the opening set 6-3 without conceding a break point. Frances Tiafoe fired back in the second set to level the match at 6-1. However, Fils regrouped in the decider, using his forehand to complete a 6-0 whitewash. After failing to convert two match points, he capitalised on his third attempt to secure his fifth ATP title.
Reflecting on his triumph, Fils said that his dedication, hard work, and recovery from past injuries were required to reach this moment. He admitted losing focus during the second set but restored his composure through brief self-talk and valuable input from his coach.
"Wow, that feels good. That feels good. It's a lot of training, a lot of things, a lot of sacrifice. Injury. To be able to win one title like this means a lot to me," he said.
"It was tough, because I started very, very strong, and then in the second set I lost a little bit of focus. He played unbelievably and put me under pressure. I had a small talk with myself in the toilet. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, 'Man, even if you have to lose, you're not going to get worse. So you need to fight, and you need to find a way.' My coach [also] told me a couple of things, and here we are," he concluded.
