The top half of the Cincinnati Open draw was whittled down to its final two players on Thursday, with Flavio Cobolli and Arthur Fils booking their places in the semi-finals.
Cobolli recovered from a sluggish start to end Tommy Paul’s run in front of the home crowd, while Fils produced one of the cleanest performances of the tournament to comfortably halt Thiago Agustín Tirante’s impressive week.
The victories guarantee that one of the two will contest a maiden Masters 1000 final on Sunday.
Day Eight Cincinnati Open Quarterfinal Results
Key Match Recap
Flavio Cobolli def. Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Flavio Cobolli continued a week of comebacks in Cincy, recovering from a dreadful opening set to deny home favourite Tommy Paul and reach the first Masters 1000 semi-final of his career,
Paul looked in complete control early on, dictating with his forehand and taking advantage of a flat start from the Italian, who appeared to still be feeling the effects of his marathon victory over Rafael Jódar.
However, Cobolli’s level steadily improved as the match progressed. After requesting a tub of M&M’s midway through the second set for a quick energy boost, Cobolli levelled the contest and took that momentum into the decider.
The third set hinged on Cobolli’s resilience. He failed to convert four break points in the seventh game but refused to let the missed opportunity affect him.
Instead, he created another chance in Paul’s next service game, broke for 5-4 and calmly served out the biggest win of his career.
The victory sends Cobolli into his maiden Masters 1000 semi-final, where he will face Arthur Fils, and guarantees the Italian a new career-high ranking of World No. 6, so a maiden ATP Finals appearance looks likely.
Match Stats
Arthur Fils def. Thiago Agustín Tirante 6-3, 6-2
Arthur Fils brought Thiago Agustín Tirante’s dream week to an end with his most complete performance of the tournament.
Tirante had knocked out Novak Djokovic, Martín Landaluce and Jakub Menšík to reach his first Masters 1000 quarter-final, but he barely got a look in here.
Fils dominated from the baseline from the opening exchanges, served superbly and never faced a single break point.
Once he secured the decisive break midway through the first set, he completely took control, repeatedly pinning the Argentine behind the baseline with heavy groundstrokes before racing away in just over an hour.
The Frenchman has put together another excellent Masters campaign and now reaches his third Masters 1000 semi-final of the season.
Match Stats
Highlights
Cincinnati Open Day Nine Quarterfinal Matches
- Taylor Fritz (6) vs Brandon Nakashima (27)
- Lorenzo Musetti (10) vs Frances Tiafoe (17)
