Gauff defends Cincinnati crown, Fils lifts 1st ATP Masters 1000 title
Coco Gauff celebrates defeating Jessica Pegula in the Cincinnati Open final at Lindner Family Tennis Center, Cincinnati, U.S., Aug. 23, 2026 (Reuters Photo)


Arthur Fils won his first ATP Masters 1000 title Sunday, while Coco Gauff beat Jessica Pegula to claim her second Cincinnati Open crown.

Fils, the 21st seed, recovered from a second-set stumble to defeat America's Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0.

The Frenchman started strong, securing an early break to surge ahead 3-0 before Tiafoe managed to hold serve and get on the scoreboard.

He kept up intense baseline pressure, aggressively targeting Tiafoe's second serve to extract errors and build a 5-3 lead. Finishing the opening set in dominant fashion, Fils served three consecutive aces in a flawless final game.

Tiafoe, competing in his second final in Cincinnati, retaliated with equal force during the second set.

The 28-year-old American broke early in the second game to build a 3-0 advantage, using wide forehands to push Fils off the court.

Even though Fils held serve without dropping a point to get on the board, the 17th-seeded Tiafoe scored another break to lead 5-1 before closing out the set to force a decider.

Fils rapidly took charge in the final set, capitalizing on a surge of backhand errors from Tiafoe to secure two breaks and storm to a 4-0 lead.

The 22-year-old's overwhelming pace left the American with no answers and Fils capped off a dominant 6-0 final set following an extended rally to capture the Cincinnati title.

"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.

Coco Gauff claimed her second Cincinnati trophy by outplaying world No.3 Jessica Pegula in a commanding 6-2, 6-4 women's final.

The 22-year-old American took charge early, converting two breaks and capitalizing on her countrywoman's double faults to surge to a 5-0 lead in the first set.

Though Pegula, who had eliminated defending champion Iga Swiatek the previous day, managed a love break at 5-2, she couldn't overcome her poor start against the overwhelming power of the world No.4’s forehand.

Building momentum ahead of the U.S. Open, Gauff raced to an early 3-0 lead in the second set, securing a break in the second game by capitalizing on the 32-year-old's return errors.

Pegula, coming off a defeat to Alexandra Eala in the Washington Open final earlier this month, held serve at love in the seventh game and subsequently broke back to trim the margin to 5-4.

However, two-time Grand Slam winner Gauff immediately broke back to claim the set at love, sealing her 12th career singles title.