Arthur Fils beats Flavio Cobolli to reach first Masters 1000 final

Arthur Fils reached the first Masters 1000 final of his career on August 22, defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4 in the Cincinnati Open semifinals.

The 22-year-old Frenchman took control after an unsettled, rain-delayed start and completed the straight-sets victory against the tournament's seventh seed. He entered the final without dropping a set in his previous three matches, a run that also included wins over Alex de Minaur and Thiago Agustín Tirante.

The result continued a strong season in Masters competition. Fils has now reached one final, two semifinals and two quarterfinals across his five completed Masters 1000 events in 2026. He also won the Barcelona Open and has taken four of his past six matches against top-10 opponents.

His Cincinnati run is set to lift him to a career-high No. 11 in the rankings and place him sixth in the race to the ATP Finals.

Fils was due to face the winner of the other semifinal between Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima. In the women's draw, Jessica Pegula defeated Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the final.