Cincy Showdown: Men’s Final Preview

By Richard Osborn

Tiafoe relishing second chance at Masters title; Fils dreaming big

[21] ARTHUR FILS (FRA) VS. [17] FRANCES TIAFOE (USA)
NOT BEFORE 4:30 P.M. | P&G STADIUM COURT

When you’re kept away from the game you love for as long as Arthur Fils was last year, stuck in a painful eight-month purgatory due to a lower-back fracture, you begin to wonder if you’ll ever get back on the court.

That was certainly the case for the Frenchman, who was dreaming Grand Slam dreams as far back as he can remember, who began turning heads at his hometown tournament, Roland Garros, when he was just 16.

But since returning to the court in February, since adding 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic to his team, he has begun to dream once again: Of earning his way back from the outer courts to the show courts, of playing meaningful matches against the sport’s very best. And those dreams have indeed been coming to fruition. The 22-year-old has reached the quarterfinals or better in eight of 13 events in 2026, all but one coming at the 500 or 1000 level.

Now he’s into the biggest ATP Tour final of his career at the Cincinnati Open.

“My goal since the start of the season was to try to go deep in these big tournaments,” said Fils, only the second Frenchman in the Open Era to reach the Cincinnati final after Guy Forget back in 1991. “I try to play in the biggest stadiums. That’s what we’re doing here.”

Standing between Fils and his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy is American Frances Tiafoe, who is back in the title match here for the second time in three years. (He fell to Italy’s Jannik Sinner in 2024, 7-6(4), 6-2.) They’ve faced each other only once, with Fils claiming a 7-6(11), 5-7, 6-2 second-round decision in Miami last year. It’s a small sample size, but the aggressive all-courter is well aware of the challenge ahead.

“Frances is Frances,” said Fils, who by reaching the final climbed to No. 11 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. “Whenever he has to show up on the big stage, that’s when he plays his best. It’s going to be a nice final to play against an American. The crowd’s going to be against me, but I think I’m going to enjoy it.”

“It’s going to be great, man,” said Tiafoe, who joined Ben Shelton as one of only two active American players to reach multiple ATP Masters 1000 finals. “He’s going to be pumped up. He’s going to be ready to do something special. We’re going to meet each other at the highest level, and may the best man win. For whatever reason, I play really well here. It’s awesome having another chance and, hopefully, it’s a different outcome this time.”

The match will have some added significance that goes beyond trophies or prize money: This will be the first-ever ATP Masters 1000 final featuring two Black players.

“That’s awesome. Great representation, a bunch of kids looking up to us and wanting to be in our position,” said Tiafoe. “That’s what it’s about. Hopefully, we’re going to continue to have more and more big finals like this, have people of color in them. I’m super pumped about it. It’s always nice to be part of history.”