Cobolli Battles Past Paul to Reach First Masters 1000 Semi-Final

Cobolli Digs Deep After Dropping the Opening Set

Flavio Cobolli reached his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semi-final on Thursday at the Cincinnati Open, defeating Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a match that required him to recover from an opening set in which he was largely outplayed. The American was sharper early, winning the first set comfortably with flat groundstrokes and superior depth, but Cobolli reasserted himself from the second set onwards, breaking Paul once in each of the final two sets and closing out the match without conceding his serve again after the decisive break.

Paul had arrived in the quarter-finals carrying genuine momentum. He had beaten top seed Alexander Zverev in the round of 16, saving a match point in the process, and had been among the form players in the men's draw. Cobolli's ability to absorb the first set and recalibrate tactically proved the difference on Thursday: where Paul had seemed the more dangerous early, the Italian looked the more controlled player as the match wore on.

A Career-Best Result — and a Historic Pairing in the Semis

The win is the most significant of Cobolli's career. The 23-year-old Italian had reached Masters 1000 quarter-finals before, but Thursday's result takes him into entirely new territory. He went the distance across all four matches in Cincinnati this fortnight — a demanding schedule that underlines the competitive resilience he has shown throughout the week.

His semi-final opponent will be Arthur Fils, the Frenchman who dismantled Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes in the day's other quarter-final. The meeting between Cobolli and Fils guarantees something that has not been announced but is now certain: whichever of the two wins, Cincinnati 2026 will have a first-time Masters 1000 finalist. The final will feature a player reaching that stage for the first time in their career, regardless of what happens in the other semi-final.

Cobolli's Path Through a Testing Draw

Cobolli has had to earn his semi-final the hard way. Each of his four wins in Cincinnati came in three sets or required deep reserves of concentration at key moments. Against Paul specifically, the ability to reset after a poor first set and execute the necessary tactical adjustments — tighter angles, greater aggression on second balls — reflected a maturity that his earlier career performances occasionally lacked.

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Paul, for his part, had given everything across a week that included the stunning scalp of Zverev. The American will leave Cincinnati with his ranking boosted and his confidence intact despite Thursday's defeat.

Fils Enters as Favourite — But Cobolli Has Proven His Resilience

Fils is the slight favourite heading into Friday's semi-final given his dominant display against Tirante and his broader form in 2026, which already includes two other Masters 1000 semi-final appearances. His serve has been a weapon all week, and he has not yet been pushed to a third set in Cincinnati.

Cobolli, however, has consistently raised his level in the moments that matter most. Four consecutive three-set matches at a Masters 1000 event is no accident — it reflects a player who has learned how to compete at the highest level and who will not be overawed by the scale of Friday's occasion. One of them will play their first Masters 1000 final on Saturday.