MASON: Arthur Fils waited through injuries, setbacks and a long road back to the top. On Sunday, the 22-year-old Frenchman turned that frustration into his biggest career moment, beating Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 in the Cincinnati final to win his first ATP Masters 1000 title.
Fils bounced back from a shaky second set to dominate the decider, completing the 98-minute victory and becoming the first French player to win a Masters 1000 title since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Toronto in 2014.
The win is projected to lift Fils from No. 21 to a career-high No. 11 in the world rankings, just one week before the U.S. Open.
The victory was especially meaningful after Fils missed much of 2025 with a back injury and spent several months this year sidelined by a hip problem.
“Wow, that feels good, that feels good,” Fils said during the trophy ceremony. “It’s a lot of training, a lot of things, a lot of sacrifice.”
Fils came out aggressively, breaking Tiafoe early and controlling the rallies from the baseline. He dropped only three points on serve in the opening set and finished it in 29 minutes with his eighth ace.
Tiafoe turned the match around in the second set, saving three break points before breaking Fils and racing to a 3-0 lead. He leveled the match after 54 minutes before receiving treatment for a right hip issue that had bothered him in recent weeks.
Fils quickly regained control in the third set, breaking Tiafoe twice to build a 4-0 lead. Tiafoe saved two match points in the final game, but Fils created another opportunity with a lob before Tiafoe sent a forehand beyond the baseline.
The final also carried historic significance. Fils and Tiafoe became the first two Black players to meet in an ATP Masters 1000 final, a milestone Fils said could inspire younger players.
“If they can watch us playing some great final like this and they can dream about it, it’s nice,” Fils said.
After losing the second set, Fils said he stopped to reset his mindset before the decider.
“I had a small talk with myself in front of the mirror,” he said. “I said, ‘If you are going to lose, it cannot get worse than this. You need to fight.’”
Moments after sealing the title, Fils called his father and then said he needed to call his mother.
“That was my dad on the phone, now I need to call my mom,” he said.
For Tiafoe, the defeat marked his second loss in the Cincinnati final after falling to Jannik Sinner in 2024.
Fils now heads to the U.S. Open with a Masters 1000 title, a projected career-high ranking and a renewed belief that his best days may be ahead.
“It was a hell of a week,” Fils said. “We made a hell of a job and it is not done yet.”
