Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 20, 2026
Photo credit: Cincinnati Open Facebook
Munching on M&Ms during changeovers, Flavio Cobolli showed appetite for another three-set fight.
Rallying from a set down for the second straight day, Cobolli out-dueled Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 reaching his ninth career semifinal at the Cincinnati Open today.
It was Cobolli’s fourth three-set win of the tournament and sends him into his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.
The seventh seeded Cobolli joins world No. 1 Jannik Sinner as the second Italian man to reach the Cincinnati final four.
Cobolli, who improved to 31-17 on the season, rises to a new career-high ranking of No. 6.
A special delivery of M&M's for @cobollifla 🤔
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 20, 2026
Tennis never stops delivering #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/a52cgeyogo
The Acapulco champion continues his hunt for a second title of the year. Cobolli will face either 21st-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils or Argentinean Thiago Agustin Tirante, who toppled Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic in the second round.
Empowered by saving a match point to fight past Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev yesterday, Paul was bidding to beat the French Open finalist Cobolli and score two Top 10 wins at the same event for the second time in his career.
Bursting out of the blocks quickly today, Paul attacked the Cobolli backhand establishing the early lead.
Attacking net and mixing low slice backhands with angled forehands, Paul unsettled the Italian. Paul pumped an inside-out forehand strike breaking in the opening game.
Paul slashed successive aces to serve out the 27-minute opener at 15.
It was a fitting end to a superb serving set. Paul served 75 percent, won 14 of 15 first-serve points, hit the kick serve to displace the Italian on the Ad court and permitted just four points total on serve in the set.
Shrugging off the first-set lapse as he did in his 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 win over 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Jodar yesterday, Cobolli came back clubbing his forehand with more menace.
Cobolli broke for 3-1 and confirmed the break for 4-1.
Tested to deuce in the seventh game, Cobolli cranked an ace and hammered a series of forehands coming through to hold for 5-2.
On his fourth set point, Cobolli laced a two-handed pass down the line. A lunging Paul fully extended for a forehand volley but could not control it as Cobolli forced a final set.
Paul bungled a challenging high smash framing it long to fall behind 15-30 in the fifth game.
Moving forward, Paul knocked off a forehand volley then used the serve-and-volley effectively warding off trouble to hold for 3-2.
A stubborn Paul dug in and denied four break points in the seventh game with some timely twisting serves down the T. Paul survived a game that spanned more than 11 minutes holding for 4-3.
The Italian Davis Cup hero hammered through a quick hold at 15 then ratcheted up pressure on Paul again.
Both men have sharp anticipation skills and Cobolli showed it to earn the crucial break.
At 30-all, Paul set up for a smash. Cobolli correctly guessed the direction and flicked a forehand lob that Paul let drop. Racing back to the baseline, Paul hit a forehand reply only to see Cobolli rip a forehand and pull off an improbable point for break point. Though Paul had a good look at a forehand, he sent it long ceding the break and a 5-4 lead.
Cobolli crashed his 10th ace the fired one final inside-out forehand closing his second win over Paul—both three-setters in Cincinnati—in as many meetings.
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