Fils Cruises Past Tirante To Set Up Cincinnati Semi-Final Vs Cobolli

Cobolli celebrates win against Paul

Flavio Cobolli’s sweet comeback sets up Fils clash in Cincinnati semis. Cobolli becomes 11th Italian to reach Masters semi-final in Cincinnati.

Candy-fueled Cobolli downs Paul to reach Cincinnati last four...

Flavio Cobolli fought back to reach the Cincinnati Masters semi-finals on Thursday, beating Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 after a sugar-fuelled turnaround.

The Italian asked for candy to be brought to court and looked re-energized after the break. He then took control against Paul, who had stunned top seed Alexander Zverev a day earlier.

“Chocolate makes me happy,” Cobolli joked. “It worked in doubles, so I figured I’d give it a shot in singles too.”

Cobolli staged the comeback after losing the first set to Paul, one of four American men who reached the Cincinnati quarter-finals.

With the match level at one set all, Paul produced a huge hold for 4-3 in the decider. He survived five deuces and saved four break points.

But Cobolli wasn’t deterred and broke to close out the win.

“It was a difficult day,” the winner said. “I'm proud of my effort, my game and my mental strength. It is all good practice for the US Open.

“My shape is 100 percent. I may play golf tomorrow on a day off to relax but I will be ready to fight again.”

Cobolli became the 11th different Italian to reach a Masters 1000 semi-final since the series started 36 years ago.

His mid-match candy break drew comparisons to fellow Italian Luciano Darderi, who is known for taking espresso shots during tough matches.  

Cobolli will face Arthur Fils for a spot in the final. The Frenchman beat Thiago Tirante 6-3, 6-2 in 64 minutes, the fastest men’s match of the tournament.  

Fils is only the eighth Frenchman in the Open Era to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals, and he said he was struck by the power of his next opponent’s game.

“He has an unbelievable serve, I was surprised by the speed of his ball,” he said.

“I tried to make him play a bit more. I stayed solid in my head and it worked pretty well for me.”