Tennis-Fils beats Tiafoe to win Cincinnati title

Arthur Fils overcame a second-set ​collapse to beat American ​Frances Tiafoe 6-3 1-6 6-0 ‌on ​Sunday and claim his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Cincinnati Open. Fils, the 21st seed, ‌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 6-0 final set after a lengthy rally to lift the Cincinnati ‌trophy.