Fils flies past Cobolli in Cincinnati to reach first M1000 final

● Frenchman will play Tiafoe or Nakashima for trophy in Ohio

Arthur Fils delivered a statement showing against Flavio Cobolli on Saturday at the Cincinnati Open to secure a spot in his first ATP Masters 1000 championship match.

The 22-year-old reacted superbly to dropping serve in the third game to prevail 6-3, 6-4 against Cobolli and set a title showdown with Frances Tiafoe or Brandon Nakashima in Ohio.

Fils and Cobolli’s semi-final clash was delayed by approximately 45 minutes after lightning and rain arrived during the initial warmup on P & G Stadium Court, but when the players returned Fils needed just 68 minutes more to wrap a largely one-sided victory.

“I was very happy with the performance,” Fils said. “I started pretty slow. I was a bit tight, but I think from 4-3 in the first set when I won those long rallies, just the momentum came my way and I felt so much better. Especially on the serve, because in the first couple of games I didn’t serve good at all, and then after it was very good. So I’m very happy with the performance.”

Fils won 82 per cent (27/33) of points behind his first serve against Cobolli, according to Infosys ATP stats, while he converted three of the four break points he earned to improve to 3-0 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

With his win, he became just the second player born in 2004 or later to reach a Masters 1000 final after Jakub Mensik in Miami in 2025.

“It’s not easy,” Fils said, when asked about the disruption caused by the rain. “I came out on the court, and it is a semi-final, so of course you are a bit more nervous, but then the rain arrived and you’ve got to wait. Then after you come back the conditions are completely different and everything altogether was a bit tough to deal with, but I’m pretty happy with the way I managed.”

Now 31-10 for the season, Fils has risen 10 spots to No. 11 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his Cincinnati run so far. Although he cannot rise any further even by winning Sunday’s final, the Frenchman is well-placed to try and secure his rise into the Top 10 for the first time at the US Open, where he did not compete in 2025 and is therefore not defending any PIF ATP Rankings points.

Despite Saturday’s defeat, Cobolli will also hit a new milestone on Monday, when the Italian will rise four spots to a career-high No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Credit: https://www.atptour.com/en/news/cobolli-fils-cincinnati-2026-sf-saturday