Thiago Agustín Tirante’s breakthrough week at the Cincinnati Open continued Wednesday as the Argentine rallied past Jakub Mensik to reach the first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal of his career. Tirante recovered after losing a tight opening set to defeat the 14th-seeded Czech 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. The victory sets up a Thursday night quarterfinal against France’s Arthur Fils, who eliminated fifth-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4.
Their match is scheduled for no earlier than 8:30 p.m. on P&G Stadium Court. The 25-year-old Tirante arrived in Cincinnati at a career-high No. 50 in the ATP rankings. He will leave with another significant jump after putting together the best Masters 1000 tournament of his career.
His run began with a routine first-round victory over Jan Choinski, but the tournament changed when he faced Novak Djokovic in the second round. Djokovic dominated the opening set before Tirante turned the match around, defeating the 24-time Grand Slam champion 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. It was the biggest victory of the Argentine’s career and immediately placed him among the tournament’s biggest stories.
Tirante then showed that the Djokovic result was more than a one-match surprise. He defeated Spain’s Martin Landaluce 7-6(5), 7-6(4) before producing another comeback against Mensik, the No. 16 player in the world. After Mensik edged the first set Wednesday, Tirante stayed aggressive from the baseline and found the breaks he needed in each of the final two sets. He closed the match after two hours and 15 minutes, becoming the last Latin American player remaining in the men’s singles draw.
The result also puts Tirante in select company. He joins Francisco Cerúndolo as one of only two active Argentine men to have reached an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal. Tirante’s rise has developed gradually. He finished 2019 as the world’s top-ranked junior and won the Roland Garros boys’ doubles title that year. His progress on the professional circuit took longer, with much of his early success coming at Challenger tournaments.
He broke into the ATP Top 100 in 2024 and has made another move this season. Before arriving in Cincinnati, Tirante reached the third round in Madrid and the fourth round in both Rome and Montreal. He also advanced to the semifinals of the ATP tournament in Houston, where he defeated Ben Shelton.
His next challenge will be Fils, the 21st seed and one of the most consistent Masters 1000 performers of the season. The 22-year-old Frenchman has reached the quarterfinals or better at five Masters events in 2026. Tirante, however, has already beaten two seeded players and one of the greatest players in tennis history this week. One more victory would send an Argentine man into the Cincinnati semifinals and extend a run that has become one of the tournament’s most unexpected stories.
