Cincinnati Open ATP Quarter-Finals Round-Up | Flavio Cobolli completes comeback as Fils ends Tirante's run

The Cincinnati quarter-finals produced two contrasting victories, but both Flavio Cobolli and Arthur Fils secured their places in the last four. Cobolli recovered from a one-sided opening set against home favourite Tommy Paul before winning the deciding set 6-4, while Fils had a much more straightforward path against Thiago Agustin Tirante.

Cobolli's comeback was particularly impressive given how firmly Paul controlled the opening stages. The American dominated behind his first serve and raced through the first set 6-2, but Cobolli gradually found his range, made the crucial breakthrough in the second set and refused to allow Paul back into the contest. After levelling at a set apiece, the Italian remained composed through a tight decider before completing the turnaround.

Fils, meanwhile, continued his strong Cincinnati campaign with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Tirante. The Argentine had already produced one of the tournament's biggest surprises by defeating Novak Djokovic, but Fils gave him little room to repeat the feat. After a competitive opening set, the Frenchman found the decisive break before running away with the second, winning five consecutive games to close out the match.

Cobolli completed one of the most impressive comebacks of the Cincinnati quarter-finals, recovering from a dominant opening set by Paul to defeat the American in three sets. Paul looked firmly in control from the beginning, breaking in the opening game and quickly establishing a 2-0 lead before adding another break to close out the first set 6-2.

The difference was particularly clear on serve. Paul landed 93% of his first serves in the opening set and won 95% of those points, leaving Cobolli with very few opportunities to attack. The Italian, meanwhile, struggled to find the same consistency with his delivery and was forced to defend from behind in many of the early exchanges.

The momentum changed in the second set when Cobolli finally found his opening at 1-2. He stayed patient through longer rallies, took advantage of Paul's second serves and converted the break before consolidating it. From there, Cobolli grew increasingly confident and eventually levelled the match 6-3, forcing Paul into a deciding set.

The third set was far tighter, with neither player able to create a break opportunity through the opening four games. Cobolli nevertheless looked increasingly comfortable and maintained his composure in the key moments. Paul could not find another opening on return, while Cobolli eventually secured the decisive advantage to close out the comeback 6-4 and book a place in the semi-finals.

Fils ended Tirante's impressive Cincinnati run with a convincing straight-sets victory, denying the Argentine another upset after his victories over Novak Djokovic and Jakub Mensik. The opening set was competitive for much of the way, with neither player able to establish a clear advantage until Fils found the breakthrough late in the set.

One break proved enough for the Frenchman to take the opener 6-3, and from there the match increasingly moved in his direction. Tirante was unable to generate the same pressure on Fils' serve, while the Frenchman became more aggressive in the rallies and repeatedly forced the Argentine into difficult defensive positions.

Fils then broke early in the second set to move 3-1 ahead, immediately putting himself in control. The Frenchman did not allow Tirante any opportunity to recover and continued applying pressure on return, eventually securing another break to move 5-1 ahead.

That second break completed a run of five consecutive games for Fils and effectively ended Tirante's hopes of another comeback. Fils served out the match 6-2 to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals, where he will face Cobolli in a clash between two of the tournament's breakout performers.