Cincinnati: Arthur Fils clinched his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title after producing a dominant final-set performance to defeat American Frances Tiafoe, while Coco Gauff powered past compatriot Jessica Pegula to win her second Cincinnati Open title on Sunday.
Fils, the 21st seed, overcame a collapse in the second set to win against the 17th-seeded Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 and thus secured the most important title of his career.
The Frenchman immediately got off to a good start by taking an early lead and was ahead 3-0 in the first set. Tiafoe did manage to equalise with a hold, but Fils kept on pressing from the baseline, on several occasions targeting the American’s second serve and causing errors.
Fils took a 5-3 lead and then served a perfect game to conclude the set, hitting three aces in a row without losing a single point.
In his second final at Cincinnati, Tiafoe reacted strongly in the second set by breaking serve in the second game and then taking a 3-0 lead, using his forehand to move Fils across the court.
Fils momentarily stopped the advance by holding on to love, but Tiafoe regained the lead and was ahead 5-1 before serving to conclude the set and force a decider.
The Frenchman however managed to take the lead in the third set, breaking serve twice to establish a 4-0 advantage as Tiafoe’s backhand errors increased. Fils’ speed and power proved too great for the American, and the Frenchman completed a bagel to win the title following a long final rally.
“It was tough, because I started very, very strong, and then in the second set I lost a little bit of focus,” Fils said.
“To be able to win one title like this means a lot to me…It’s a lot of training, a lot of things, a lot of sacrifice,” he added.
This win is Fils’ first victory at a Masters 1000 event and follows his outstanding performance in the Cincinnati tournament, highlighting his status as one of the emerging powers on the ATP Tour.
In the women’s final, the player ranked fourth, Gauff, gave a dominant display and beat world No. 3 Pegula 6-2, 6-4 to win her second title at the Cincinnati Open.
The 22-year-old American took a 5-0 lead in the first set by breaking serve twice and taking advantage of Pegula’s two double faults.
The man who had knocked out the defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals was able to break Gauff at 5-2 without losing a single point, but the hole proved too big since Gauff’s strong forehand continued to control the rallies.
In the second set Gauff maintained her advantage by taking the second game and leading 3-0, taking advantage of a number of missed returns from Pegula.
In the seventh game Pegula held onto love and then broke Gauff’s serve, reducing the deficit to 5-4 and for a moment bringing hopes of a comeback.
She immediately replied by breaking back to win the match and thus securing her 12th career singles title.