Fils Beats Tiafoe In Milestone Match, Wins Cincinnati Open Title

Arthur Fils
Arthur Fils (photo: Jared Wickerham/Wick Photography for Cincinnati Open)

CINCINNATI/WASHINGTON, August 24, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

The significance of France’s Arthur Fils facing Frances Tiafoe of the United States – two up-and-coming superstars of tennis and players of color – could be seen when they walked out to play the men’s singles final of the ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati Open Sunday afternoon.

It would be the first ATP Masters 1000 final between two Black men, and just the seventh all-Black men’s singles final at ATP Tour level dating back to 1987 – and first one in two years after Ben Shelton of the United States and Giovani Mpetshi Perricard competed in the Swiss Indoor final at Basel, Switzerland in October 2024.

A week before main-draw play begins at the US Open, P & G Stadium Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, was the place to be. It was filled to capacity with 11,614 enthusiastic fans eager to watch the 21st-seeded Fils do battle with No. 17 seed Tiafoe. Both players were looking to win their first ATP Masters 1000 champion’s trophy. It was Fils’ first final at this level and the second one for Tiafoe, after reaching the final in Cincinnati two years ago.

By the end of the afternoon, after one hour and 28 minutes of championship play, it was Fils who enjoyed a coming-of-age moment. He prevailed over Tiafoe, 6-3, 1-6, 6-0, to become a first-time ATP Masters 1000 champion. At age 22, Fils is also the youngest Frenchman to win an ATP Masters 1000 title – and the fifth French player overall to win a Masters 1000 crown.

After being congratulated at the net by his fallen foe, Tiafoe, Fils raced over to hug his coach, Ivan Cinkus, and the rest of his team. Then, once he returned to his bench, Fils grabbed his smartphone from his tote bag and shared a FaceTime moment with his father, who was back home in France. It was after midnight there, but it didn’t matter. It was a phone conversation that Fils clearly was enjoying.

“Wow, that feels good. That feels good,” Fils said during a brief on-court interview with ATP Media before the start of the trophy ceremony, after he had won his fifth career ATP Tour title and second one this year after Barcelona. “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.”

Fils jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set after breaking Tiafoe’s serve on his second break-point opportunity in the second game, then consolidated the break. Soon, Fils made it 5-2 after winning all but three points on his serve – and 21 of the first 33 points of the match overall. The Frenchman, who faced no break points, wrapped up the opening set on his serve 6-3 by serving a trio of aces up the middle to win the 29-minute set. He outpointed Tiafoe 26-16. 

However, Fils was unable to sustain the momentum he built up in the first set. Instead, Tiafoe regrouped and won the 25-minute second set 6-1 on the strength of a pair of service breaks and by taking advantage of 14 unforced errors by Fils. 

It was onward to a decider and anyone’s guess how it might wind up. As it turned out, the momentum switched back to Fils and he jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a break of Tiafoe’s serve sandwiched in between a couple of solid service holds. Then, Fils broke Tiafoe for the second time in the set and third time overall. He consolidated the latest break for an insurmountable 5-0 lead as the match reached the 80-minute mark.

Finally, Fils closed out the final by winning the Cincinnati Open title on his third match-point opportunity. It capped a 16-point final game and he improved to 10-0 in deciding sets this season. After eliminating World No. 10 and seventh seed Flavio Cobolli a day earlier in the semifinals, Fils used his booming forehand to strike 23 winners to overcome 29 unforced errors and outpointed Tiafoe 69-59. 

Looking back, Fils hit 11 aces and won 71 percent (25 of 35) of his first-serve points. He saved four of six break points and converted four of eight break-point chances against Tiafoe. By comparison, Tiafoe served four aces but also committed four double faults. He won 67 percent (18 of 27) of his first-serve points, hit nine winners and made 25 unforced errors.

“It was tough. I started very, very strong,” Fils said. “Then, in the second set, I lost a little bit of focus. He played unbelievable and put me under pressure. I had a small talk with myself in the toilet [after the second set]. I looked at myself in the mirror and said, ‘Man, even if you have to lose, you don’t want to get washed. You need to fight; you need to find a way. My coach told me a couple of things and here we are.”

 

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After missing the entire Australian swing at the start of the year as well Roland-Garros while recovering from injuries, Fils has turned the 2026 season around now that he’s healthy, again. He’s 32-10, has shot up to fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin after winning the Cincinnati Open, and he will rise to No. 11 on Monday, when the new PIF ATP Rankings are released. Meanwhile, Tiafoe will head to the US Open ranked No. 12 after starting the Cincinnati event ranked No. 23.

When Fils was asked at the end of his on-court interview what winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title meant to him, he replied: “I don’t know, I don’t have any words to describe [the feeling]. It feels so good. A little bit of relief. Life is so good.”

Soon, it was time for Fils to receive the Rookwood Cup, a distinctive, handcrafted ceramic trophy produced by the historic Rookwood Pottery Company in Cincinnati. The double-handled cup features sculpted acanthus leaves and blooming tennis ball motifs, which pays homage to the local pottery’s roots and the tournament’s founding year of 1899. Fils hoisted the trophy in the air proudly and beamed a big smile for all to see and appreciate.

Luz and Matos complete Canada-Cincinnati double

Unseeded Brazilian duo Orlando Luz and Rafael Matos went into Sunday’s men’s doubles final looking to win their second-straight ATP Masters 1000 title after capturing the Montreal crown earlier this month. It’s a rare feat to win Canada and Cincinnati back-to-back.

Luz and Matos brought a nine-match winning streak into the Cincinnati title match against alternates Constantin Frantzen of Germany and Robin Haase of the Netherlands. By the end of their one-hour, 21-minute final, the Brazilians had won their fourth title this season after winning Buenos Aires, Santiago and Montreal – and became the first all-Brazilian team to win the Cincinnati title. Luz and Matos defeated Frantzen and Haase, 6-4, 3-6, 10-7.

Luz and Matos, who improved to 41-20 lifetime (37-19 this season), dropped just five points on their first serve and outpointed Frantzen and Haase 60-56.

By winning, Luz, 28, and Matos, 30, became just the fifth team in the Open Era to win the Canada-Cincinnati double. The last to do it was Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France in 2017. En route to the Cincinnati title, Luz and Matos defeated two seeded teams – No. 5 seeds Christian Harrison of the United States and Neal Skupski of Great Britain in the first round and No. 4 seeds Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy in the quarterfinals.

“If I said that I would believe it [that we won back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 titles], it’s a lie,” Luz said during an on-court interview with ATP Media before the trophy ceremony. “We’re very happy to do this. It’s been an incredible two weeks, getting two titles. I have no words, actually.”

Matos added: “At 9-7 [in the tie-break], I was very nervous to hit a second serve. But I’m just glad that I made the serve in and [Frantzen] missed it.”

With their latest trophy triumph, Luz and Matos have moved up to No. 6 in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Team Rankings.

By the numbers

Sunday’s title match between Arthur Fils and Frances Tiafoe was the seventh between two players looking for their first ATP Masters 1000 title since 2000. The most recent one was last year at the Shanghai Masters, when Valentin Vacherot of Monaco defeated Arthur Rinderknech of France.

“Quotable …”

“What’s up, Cincinnati, what’s going on? First things first, I want to congratulate Arthur. Hell of a week, brother. First Masters title, congrats to you and your team for sure. And of course, I’ve got to thank the fans. You guys get behind me so much. I really appreciate the love.

“I go to sleep hearing ‘1, 2, 3, Foe’ all week. It’s been crazy man. Thanks again.”

– Finalist Frances Tiafoe of the United States, during his trophy acceptance speech, congratulating Arthur Fils and showing his appreciation for the Cincinnati fans.

 

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