Tennis-Fils claims first ATP Masters 1000 title as Gauff clinches second Cincinnati crown

Arthur Fils defeated Frances Tiafoe to secure his ​first ATP Masters 1000 title on Sunday, while Coco Gauff ​beat Jessica Pegula to win her second Cincinnati ‌Open ​title.

Fils bounced back from a second-set wobble to beat American Tiafoe 6-3 1-6 6-0. 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 to a 4-0 lead as Tiafoe's backhand errors piled up. ⁠The 22-year-old's ​pace 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. "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. Gauff secured her second Cincinnati title ⁠in the women's final, defeating world number three Pegula in a dominant 6-2 6-4 victory.

The 22-year-old American quickly established a 5-0 lead in the opening set, breaking twice and ⁠capitalising ​on her compatriot's double faults. Pegula, who ousted defending champion Iga Swiatek on Saturday, broke Gauff without dropping a point at 5-2 but was unable to recover from the early deficit against the power of the world number four's forehand.

Gauff, building momentum ahead of the U.S. ⁠Open, rapidly took a 3-0 lead in the second set, breaking in the second game while taking advantage of the 32-year-old's failed returns. Pegula, ⁠who lost the Washington Open final ⁠to Alexandra Eala earlier this month, held to love in the seventh game before breaking serve to reduce the deficit to 5-4. However the two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff broke back to close the set ‌to love and clinch ‌her 12th career singles title.