Frances Tiafoe is through to his second Cincinnati Open showpiece in three years after beating Brandon Nakashima in straight sets in an all-American semi-final.

Tiafoe defeated Nakashima 7-5 6-3 in one hour and 43 minutes in the final four and is now chasing his biggest career title in Sunday's final against Arthur Fils.

It was a topsy-turvy first set that featured four consecutive breaks of play between the third and sixth games.

Nakashima had twice cancelled out Tiafoe's advantage and had the chance to take the first set after going 5-4 up, but he saw three set points go begging on the American's serve.

Tiafoe then earned another break before converting his first set point to grab the lead.

The 28-year-old did not let an advantage slip through his hands in the second set, though, as he reeled off three straight games to take a 4-2 lead before breaking to love to seal the match.

Two of the game’s great entertainers @CincyTennis | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/RwAtpHele3

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"It feels pretty damn good," Tiafoe said when asked about how it feels to be in the final.

"I'm really happy with it. It's been a great week and a great weekend, unexpectedly, so I'm super happy."

Tiafoe will face Fils for the trophy, with the Frenchman set to play in his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 championship match.

Fils secured a statement 6-3 6-4 victory over Flavio Cobolli in 68 minutes, despite a long lightning delay before the match.

Tiafoe and Fils both chasing biggest career win

It is set to be an intriguing final on Sunday, with Tiafoe set to contest just his second Masters 1000 final – after Cincinnati in 2024 – while this is Fils' first, having never reached the final two above ATP 500 level.

Only Alexander Zverev (46) and Jannik Sinner (44) have claimed more ATP-level main draw wins than Tiafoe (37) this season.

He is also the first player since the format's introduction in 1990 to reach his first two ATP Masters 1000 finals in Cincinnati.

Tiafoe is the third American man this century to reach multiple Cincinnati finals, alongside Andy Roddick (2003, 2005-06) and Mardy Fish (2003, 2010).

As for Fils, he is the third-youngest French player to reach the final of an ATP 1000 event since the format's introduction, older only than Sebastien Grosjean and Richard Gasquet.