Flavio Cobolli fought back from a set down to defeat Tommy Paul 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and book his place in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters on Thursday.

The Italian star produced an unusual mid-match energy boost, asking for a handful of sweets to be brought onto the court before turning the contest around.

Cobolli appeared to benefit from the brief pause as he recovered from a slow start and eventually overcame Paul, who had eliminated top seed Alexander Zverev in the previous round.

“A sweet with chocolate makes me happy,” Cobolli said. “I’ve tried it in doubles, so why not singles?”

The Roland Garros runner-up dropped the opening set but gradually found his rhythm against Paul, one of four American players to reach the quarter-finals.

With the match level at one set apiece, Paul produced a remarkable hold to stay alive in the deciding set. The American battled through five deuces and saved four break points before eventually moving 4-3 ahead.

Cobolli refused to be discouraged, however, maintaining his composure and completing the comeback to reach the last four.

“It was a difficult day. I’m proud of my effort, my game and my mental strength. It is all good practice for the US Open,” Cobolli said.

The victory makes Cobolli the 11th Italian player to reach a Masters semi-final since the series began 36 years ago.

His unconventional candy break also drew comparisons with the espresso shots sometimes used by fellow Italian player Luciano Darderi during matches.

Fils Cruises Into Last Four

Cobolli will face Arthur Fils in the semi-finals after the Frenchman comfortably defeated Thiago Tirante 6-3, 6-2 in just 64 minutes.

It was the shortest men’s match of the tournament so far and saw Fils become the eighth French player in the Open Era to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals.

Fils was particularly impressed by the power of Tirante’s game, highlighting the Argentine’s huge serve and pace.

“He has an unbelievable serve. I was surprised by the speed of his ball,” Fils said.

The Frenchman added that he focused on making Tirante play more points while remaining mentally strong throughout the contest.

“I tried to make him play a bit more. I stayed solid in my head and it worked pretty well for me.”

Fils will now look to continue his impressive run against Cobolli, with a place in the Cincinnati final at stake.