Arthur Fils reached his first Masters 1000 final at the Cincinnati Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Flavio Cobolli, the No 7 seed. The French 22-year-old will face Frances Tiafoe in Sunday's final after Tiafoe beat Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 6-3.
Decisive point sets the tone
In a tense, erratic start to a rain-delayed semi-final day, Fils found himself locked in defence on his serve at 3-3. He scurried from sideline to sideline, lunging at full stretch, seemingly with no real chance of turning things around. As Cobolli swept to the net, however, the Italian soon learned his opponent had another gear. From far wide of the court, Fils pulverised a forehand passing shot winner beyond his astounded opponent, drawing a roar from the crowd.
That one point provided evidence of the athleticism, explosiveness and audacity that have long marked Fils as a rare, exciting talent, and it set the tone for a monumental victory. From that moment onwards, Fils took control and marched into his first Masters 1000 final.
Remarkable comeback from injury
Fils has now reached a final, two semi-finals and two other quarter-finals in his five completed Masters 1000 tournaments this year. He also won his fourth title at the Barcelona Open 500 event and has won four of his last six matches against top 10 opponents. He now sits at No 6 in the race to the ATP Finals and will rise to a career-high ranking of No 11.
His problem, simply, is how infrequently he has been able to play. In spring last year, Fils suffered a stress fracture in his back that forced him to retire from Roland Garros and sidelined him for nine months. During his time away, he made countless changes to his game, including altering his forehand and serve technique, learning how to slide into his backhand on hard courts and dropping weight. A week after his Madrid Open semi-final run, he suffered a hip injury at the Italian Open that forced him to withdraw from Roland Garros again.
His performances this season showed he was capable of great things, but it remained unclear if his body would allow it. "I was feeling great, but you just got to take it," he said. "Some things are happening for a purpose. It's OK."
Composed approach pays off
Fils's minimal preparation was reflected in his second-round loss at Wimbledon, after which he again rebuilt his form, level and physicality. One of the most impressive aspects of his comebacks has been the positivity he has maintained. "If I'm sad, there is no way I can make it," he said. "If I'm positive, then I give myself a shot, at least. When I'm sad, if I'm going crying into my bed, there is no way I can wake up and play some good tennis. If I'm going happy and blessed that now I'm able to play tennis, then after, it's working well."
In his last three matches, dominant straight-sets wins over Alex de Minaur, Thiago Agustín Tirante and Cobolli, Fils's level has been immaculate. In terms of its immense speed and wicked spin, his forehand is the heaviest groundstroke in the game. Part of his development has been adopting a more composed approach. "I'm a bit less crazy," he said. "Miami was nice, I was in the semis, but I lost so much energy in this tournament. I was screaming 'Come on', 'Vamos' after every point. Now here it's completely different. And I think also when you do it, you start to do it a couple of times, the tournaments, those big runs, then you start to get a bit used to [it], and you don't need any more to go crazy, to pump yourself. I think I'm already pumped enough, especially with my team also."
Historic final and other results
The final between Fils and Tiafoe will be the first ever ATP Masters 1000 final between two black players. Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula edged out Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the women's final, where she will face Coco Gauff after Gauff ended Sara Bejlek's run with a 6-4, 6-1 win. Elsewhere, Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz will team up in the revamped US Open mixed doubles tournament, with Alcaraz returning from a wrist injury and Williams competing after her singles return at Wimbledon.
