Frenchman Arthur Fils may have played himself into contention to win the US Open after sealing the biggest title of his career at the Cincinnati Open on Sunday.
The 21st seed, who won the Barcelona Open in April, added the Cincy crown to his growing list of achievements with a topsy-turvy 6-3 1-6 6-0 victory over Frances Tiafoe in Ohio.
Fils became the third Black man to win a Masters 1000 title, joining Ben Shelton, who won the Canadian Open twice, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won Paris in 2008 and Canada in 2014.
“That feels good,” said Fils, who dominated the deciding set to end France’s 12-year wait for a Masters 1000 title. “There’s a lot of training, a lot of sacrifice. Injury. To be able to win a title like this, it means a lot to me.
“I don’t have any words to describe this. It feels so good. A little bit of relief as well.”
Fils made a flying start by breaking early to establish a 3-0 lead in the opening set before Tiafoe got on the board with a hold of serve.
The Frenchman maintained relentless pressure from the baseline, attacking Tiafoe’s second serve and forcing errors as he moved 5-3 ahead. Fils was untouchable on serve, closing out the set with three successive aces without dropping a point in the final game.
Tiafoe, playing in his second Cincinnati final, responded in kind in the second set.
The 28-year-old broke in the second game en route to a 3-0 lead, with his forehands pulling Fils wide. Although Fils got on the board with a hold to love, the 17th seed Tiafoe broke again for a 5-1 advantage before forcing a decider.
Fils quickly regained control in the third set, breaking twice to race into a 4-0 lead as Tiafoe’s backhand errors piled up.
The 22-year-old’s pace and movement proved too much for the American, and he closed out the match with a bagel final set after a lengthy rally to lift the trophy.
Tale of the Tape
Now 32-10 for the year, Fils is up eight spots to fifth in the ATP Live Race To Turin as a result of his run.
‘Fils is like a ballet dancer’
Annabel Croft, speaking on Sky Sports Tennis:
“He talked about the sacrifices he made and the injuries he has had but what a performance that was in the final set. He played flawless tennis in the first set but he regrouped so well in that final set and breath-taking movement to watch him courtside.
“He’s so agile, he’s like a ballet dancer, and we saw every kind of shot that he could possibly come up with to win this title and to take on a home crowd as well it was really impressive.”
Croft added: “He’s so mature on the court. He’s physically very mature and that was the aspect for me just how well this guy moves across the court. It’s very dynamic. It’s the take-off speed but it’s also the agility. He can be on the front foot and attacking, but when he’s pushed defensively he can turn on a sixpence and then put in the slices and defend so well.”
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