ROLAND-GARROS
17 May - 6 June 2027
Two exceptional athletes, two exhilarating tennis players, this 22-year-old duo ruled the Queen City of Cincinnati on Sunday. Arthur Fils and Coco Gauff have reminded their rivals of their major credentials with the final Grand Slam of the season launching into action in New York at the end of the week.
ATP/WTA: Cincinnati glory ahead of US Open for Fils and Gauff
The US Open – featuring the returning Carlos Alcaraz – begins on August 30.
First time Fils for Arthur
French showman Arthur Fils missed the majority of the time between Roland-Garros 2025 and 2026 with a back injury. Talk about making up for lost time.
A pulsating week in Cincinnati concluded with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 triumph over Frances Tiafoe to capture a maiden Masters 1000 crown.
In a highly impressive season, Fils had already competed in Masters 1000 semi-finals over in Miami and Madrid, but roared to his fifth career title to become the first French champion in the elite series since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Toronto in 2014.
“Wow, that feels good,” said Fils. “It’s a lot of training, a lot of things, a lot of sacrifice. Injury. To be able to win one title like this means a lot to me.
“I’m very happy. It was a tough year last year. When you get injured, you just think about coming back for these moments. It feels very good to have a trophy next to me, especially a Masters 1000. I never won one before. That’s why I play. I knew I could make it.”
Victories over Top 10 seeded trio Jiri Lehecka, Alex de Minaur and then Flavio Cobolli catapulted the firecracker tennis of Fils into the final, ticking his 2026 record to 32-10. Injuries prevented the Frenchman from competing on the Australian swing as well as his home major at Roland-Garros. In short, it’s been a sensational comeback from the sidelines, propelling him to the cusp of the Top 10 at a career high No.11 on Monday.
“I just had to stay positive and to find a way to make it work. Even if I didn’t win today (Sunday), I knew that being positive was going to help me in the next weeks, at the US Open or on the Asia swing. That’s something very important, I think.”
Gauff regains groove just in time
The last time Coco Gauff raised the Rookwood Cup in Cincinnati, she went on to lift her first Grand Slam at the US Open.
Three years later and the American was celebrating once again on home soil, taking down compatriot Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday night to land a maiden title of the year.
The world No.4 dropped her opening set to Liudmila Samsonova in the second round, before clinching the next 12 to capture a fourth WTA 1000 silverware and first WTA title since last October in Wuhan.
It’s the optimum time for the two-time Grand Slam champion to rediscover her groove.
"I think with each match, I was feeling more and more confident in trusting the work that I put in and the practice," said the American.
"It's going to be tough in New York, but just knowing the quality wins that I had this week, knowing that I'm able to figure it out even if I'm not playing my best, but also knowing that I can play that great tennis that I felt like I was playing this week."
Over to Pegula to summarise the levels her countrywoman reached in Cincinnati.
“Kudos to her. She’s the best mover on tour, I think, by far. Just the way she’s able to defend out of the corners is better than anybody else. That’s really her strength. Right now, a dangerous, confident Coco is going to be hard going into New York.”