Cincinnati: Flavio Cobolli Could Break Into the Top 5 of the Rankings Right Away—Here’s How

Flavio Cobolli, who is playing an increasingly prominent role at the Cincinnati Open, has deservedly earned a spot among the top four at the Masters 1000 tournament on U.S. hard courts, which serves as a warm-up for the U.S. Open. The Roman, coming back from a set down against Tommy Paul (final score 2-6, 6-3, 6-4), has in fact qualified for the semifinals of the tournament in Ohio, where he will face France’s Arthur Fils.

The victory, incidentally, gives Cobolli his best-ever result at a Masters 1000 event, regardless of how it plays out. Until yesterday, in fact, he had never gone beyond the quarterfinals, a mark he had previously reached in Madrid in 2026. The win over Paul, moreover, propels the Roman to previously uncharted heights: a victory in the semifinals would allow him to overtake Novak Djokovic in the rankings and thus move into fifth place.

Djokovic, in fact, earned only 10 points in Cincinnati, bringing his total to 3,770 points, after being eliminated in the second round by surprise contender Thiago Agustin Tirante. Cobolli, having reached the semifinals, already has 3,710 points, and a victory over Fils would earn him another 250 points, bringing his total to 3,960: in that case, he would bring the number of Italians in the Top 5 to two, alongside ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Beyond the ranking aspect, Flavio Cobolli is seeking his fourth career title on the main tour: in 2025, he won the ATP 250 in Bucharest (defeating Argentina’s Sebastian Baez in the final) and the ATP 500 in Hamburg (defeating Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the final), while in 2026 he triumphed at another ATP 500 event, the Acapulco tournament, defeating the American Frances Tiafoe in the final.