Arthur Fils beats Tiafoe and Coco Gauff defeats Pegula to win Cincinnati titles

Men's final recap

Arthur Fils secured his first ATP Masters 1000 championship on Sunday at the Cincinnati Open, defeating Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0. The 22-year-old Frenchman opened the match with a 3-0 lead in 29 minutes, closing out the first set with three consecutive aces and 11 aces across the entire match. Tiafoe responded in the second set by breaking Fils in the second game, using wide forehands to take a 5-1 lead and seal the set 6-1 in roughly 25 minutes. Following a medical timeout called by Tiafoe, Fils visited the locker room to reset his tactical focus before returning for the deciding set. Fils subsequently won six consecutive games, breaking Tiafoe twice to build an early 4-0 advantage and finishing the contest without dropping a game in the final set.

I spoke to myself in the bathroom mirror. I told myself: If you have to lose, go ahead, but you have to fight.

French tennis milestones

The victory makes Fils the fifth French male player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title since the series began in 1990. At 22 years old, he is the youngest French champion in the tournament category, winning at a younger age than Guy Forget, Cédric Pioline, Sébastien Grosjean, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The win ends a 12-year drought for French men's tennis at this level, representing the first Masters 1000 trophy for France since Tsonga won in Toronto in 2014. Fils competed in Cincinnati following an injury-plagued 2025 season that involved a back stress fracture and hip problems. During his run to the final, the Essonne native defeated two top-10 competitors without dropping a set, eliminating world number eight Alex de Minaur and world number ten Flavio Cobolli.

Women's final results

In the women's singles tournament, world number four Coco Gauff claimed the WTA 1000 title by defeating world number three Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes. The match was the first all-American women's singles final at the Cincinnati Open since 1970. The two finalists are regular doubles partners who previously held the joint world number one doubles ranking. Gauff surrendered only one set across the entire tournament week, which occurred during her opening round match against Liudmila Samsonova. The championship represents Gauff's first title of the 2026 season and her second career victory in Cincinnati after her 2023 triumph.

What is important is knowing that I can produce these kinds of matches, because it will be difficult in New York. Seeing the quality I am able to produce, even when not playing my best tennis, knowing that I can play great tennis like this week, that is something I can use in New York.

Rankings jump and US Open outlook

Following the tournament, Fils rose from 21st to 11th in the ATP rankings on Monday, reaching a career-best position. His title run followed a quarter-final appearance at the Montreal Masters 1000 and a tournament victory in Barcelona earlier in the year. The Cincinnati results establish both Fils and Gauff among the contenders for the US Open, where main draw play starts Sunday in New York. Pegula enters the final Grand Slam tournament of the season after enduring three consecutive three-set encounters during her path to the Cincinnati final. Gauff noted that while her Cincinnati form provides a reference point for competition, she does not view the tournament outcome as a guarantee of success in New York.