RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Frenchman Arthur Fils may have played himself into contention to win the US Open after sealing the biggest title of his career at the Cincinnati Open on Sunday. <p>The 21st seed, who won the Barcelona Open in April, added the Cincy crown to his growing list of achievements with a topsy-turvy 6-3 1-6 6-0 victory over Frances Tiafoe in Ohio.</p><p>Fils became the third Black man to win a Masters 1000 title, joining Ben Shelton, who won the Canadian Open twice, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who won Paris in 2008 and Canada in 2014.</p><widget id="3"></widget><ul><li><a href="https://www.skysports.com/tennis/scores-schedule"><strong>Latest tennis scores and results</strong></a> \ud83c\udfbe</li><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/ContentPromo" target="_blank"><strong>Download Sky Sports app for analysis, news and video</strong></a> \ud83d\udcfa</li><li><strong>Not got Sky? </strong><a href="https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=Ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>Latest Sky Sports deals</strong></a><strong> or </strong><a href="http://www.nowtv.com/membership/watch-sky-sports?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>stream with no contract on NOW</strong></a>\ud83d\udcf1</li></ul> <widget id="4"></widget><p>"That feels good," said Fils, who dominated the deciding set to end France's 12-year wait for a Masters 1000 title. "There's a lot of training, a lot of sacrifice. Injury. To be able to win a title like this, it means a lot to me.</p><p>"I don't have any words to describe this. It feels so good. A little bit of relief as well."</p><p>Fils made a flying start by breaking early to establish a 3-0 \u200blead in the opening set before \u200cTiafoe got on the board with a hold of serve.</p><p>The \u200bFrenchman maintained relentless pressure from the baseline, attacking Tiafoe's second serve and forcing errors as he moved \u200b5-3 ahead. Fils was untouchable on \u2060serve, closing out the \u2060set with three successive aces without dropping a point in the final \u200cgame.</p><p>Tiafoe, playing in his second Cincinnati final, responded in kind in the second set.</p><p>The 28-year-old broke in \u200cthe second game en route to a 3-0 lead, with his forehands pulling Fils wide. Although Fils got on the board with a hold to \u2060love, the 17th seed Tiafoe broke \u200bagain for a 5-1 advantage before forcing \u200ba decider.</p><p>Fils quickly regained control in \u200bthe third set, breaking twice to race into \u2060a 4-0 lead as Tiafoe's backhand errors piled up.</p><p>The 22-year-old's pace and movement proved too much \u2060for the American, and he \u200bclosed out the match with a bagel \u200bfinal set after a lengthy rally to lift the trophy.</p> <widget id="5"></widget><h3>Tale of the Tape</h3> <widget id="1"></widget> <widget id="2"></widget><p>Now 32-10 for the year, Fils is up eight spots to fifth in the ATP Live Race To Turin as a result of his run.</p><h3>'Fils is like a ballet dancer'</h3> <widget id="6"></widget><p><em>Annabel Croft, speaking on Sky Sports Tennis:</em></p><p>"He talked about the sacrifices he made and the injuries he has had but what a performance that was in the final set. He played flawless tennis in the first set but he regrouped so well in that final set and breath-taking movement to watch him courtside.</p><p>"He's so agile, he's like a ballet dancer, and we saw every kind of shot that he could possibly come up with to win this title and to take on a home crowd as well it was really impressive."</p><p>Croft added: "He's so mature on the court. He's physically very mature and that was the aspect for me just how well this guy moves across the court. It's very dynamic. It's the take-off speed but it's also the agility. He can be on the front foot and attacking, but when he's pushed defensively he can turn on a sixpence and then put in the slices and defend so well."</p><p><strong>Watch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports. The US Open is also live on Sky Sports from August 30. </strong><a href="http://www.nowtv.com/membership/watch-sky-sports?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank"><strong>Stream tennis with no contract on NOW</strong></a> <strong>and the <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11677/12572660/download-the-sky-sports-app-premier-league-goals-f1-race-control-and-more-at-your-fingertips">Sky Sports App</a>.</strong></p>
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