Fils breaks into the semifinals of Cincinnati and makes history for French tennis

The fruits always come for those who have patience. When Arthur Fils was experiencing the best moment of his season, having won one of his most important titles at the Godó and with Roland Garros just around the corner, his body let him down again, leaving him sidelined and halting his progress. He did not despair, continued working, and identified the weak points in his tennis... and upon his return, tennis offered him the opportunity to continue making history: after clearly defeating Thiago Tirante (6-3, 6-2), he reaches the semifinals of a Masters 1000 at the ATP Cincinnati 2026, returning to his highest historical ranking position (#14 in the world).

There was no story in a match that the Frenchman dominated from start to finish. Feeling comfortable on such an important stage is crucial when you reach the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000, and the lack of long rallies at the beginning of the duel did not help Tirante overcome the feeling of being a stranger in these battles. On the contrary, Arthur played with composure, building points patiently and letting his forehand become a devastating weapon. The Argentine did not have his best day with the serve, his major stronghold on U.S. soil: perhaps the nighttime conditions, new to him, left him out of his element.

Fils makes history for French tennis

The Frenchman's triumph gives him a golden opportunity to reach his first Masters 1000 final. He tried in Miami, where he lost to Lehecka, and in a Mutua Madrid Open where Jannik Sinner knocked him off his path; now he will face another newcomer at this frontier, Flavio Cobolli, in a match that shows the new generation is already here.

Finally, Arthur can boast of being part of an impressive statistic: he is only the second French player to reach the semifinals of three Masters 1000 in a single season, joining Guy Forget, who achieved it in 1991. Names like Tsonga or Monfils, for example, were unable to accomplish this, which gives an idea of the magnitude of the Frenchman's achievement.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fils irrumpe en semifinales de Cincinnati y hace historia para el tenis francés