From a brutal second set to complete domination
The final changed direction twice in only 88 minutes.
Fils controlled the opening set against Tiafoe, taking it 6-3 before the American responded emphatically. Tiafoe won the second set 6-1 and appeared to have seized the momentum, but the Frenchman produced the strongest possible response. According to the official Cincinnati Open report, Fils won every game in the deciding set to complete a 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 victory and claim his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy.
It was the first Masters 1000 final between two Black players, adding another historical element to a match in which both men were seeking their first title at this level. Tiafoe had already come close in Cincinnati, losing the 2024 final to Jannik Sinner, but the 28-year-old was denied again.
For Fils, the achievement immediately rewrites his career résumé. He is now the youngest Frenchman to win a Masters 1000 title since the series was established and the first French champion at this level since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga won Toronto in 2014.
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Eight months away changed everything
The Cincinnati title becomes considerably more significant when placed alongside what happened to Fils last year.
His injury problems began at Roland Garros in May 2025, when a stress fracture in his lower back forced him to withdraw before the third round. As the ATP later detailed in an interview about his recovery, Fils tried to return in Toronto in August but quickly discovered his back was not ready for the demands of professional tennis. Another long period away followed.
By the time he properly returned in Montpellier in February 2026, he had effectively lost almost eight months.
“It was very mental, to be honest,” Fils told the ATP while reflecting on the layoff. He admitted there had been a period when he stopped watching tennis completely because seeing other players compete made his own absence more difficult.
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His team also refused to rush the rehabilitation. Fils explained that he rebuilt his body through strength, flexibility and mobility work before gradually increasing his time on court. That patience now looks particularly important given the physical level he sustained through a long Cincinnati tournament.
Ivanisevic helped reshape the comeback
Fils also made a significant change to his team after returning.
In February he began working with 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who previously coached Novak Djokovic. Fils described Ivanisevic as a “hell of a champion” when discussing their partnership with the ATP in Doha and said the Croatian’s experience as both a player and coach was exactly what he wanted around him.
The results appeared quickly. Fils reached the final in Doha, where Carlos Alcaraz beat him, before producing deep runs in Indian Wells and Miami. In April, he took another major step by defeating Andrey Rublev 6-2, 7-6(2) to win the Barcelona Open.
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That Barcelona victory was already a significant comeback milestone. The ATP’s report from the final noted that Fils had survived two match points in his opening match before eventually claiming his fourth tour-level title.
Cincinnati is another category altogether. ATP 500 titles had already shown his potential. A Masters 1000 trophy demonstrates that he can now sustain his level against an elite field across one of the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.
Cincinnati changes his position before the US Open
Fils did not stumble into the final through an open draw either.
In the semi-final he beat world top-10 player Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4 in just 67 minutes, overcoming an early break of serve before taking control. The result sent him into his first Masters 1000 final and continued a season in which his ranking had already been climbing rapidly.
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The title will now lift Fils to a career-high world No. 11, according to the Cincinnati Open. That is three places better than the career high of No. 14 he held before the back injury interrupted his progress in 2025.
The timing could hardly be better. The US Open confirms that its singles main draw begins on August 30, only one week after Fils lifted the Cincinnati trophy. The men’s draw itself will be revealed on August 27.
Fils will therefore arrive in New York not simply as a talented French outsider, but as the reigning Cincinnati champion and world No. 11.
Eight months ago, the first question was whether his back would allow him to rebuild his career. At the US Open, the far more relevant question will be how deep the newest Masters 1000 champion can go.
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