Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi have achieved a historic milestone by reaching the first-ever all-Italian semifinal at a Grand Slam tournament.
Cobolli triumphed first on Wednesday at the French Open, defeating Canada’s sixth-ranked Félix Auger-Aliassime in a hard-fought match with a score of 4:6, 6:4, 6:4, 6:4. Later that evening, Arnaldi advanced to the last four when his compatriot, Matteo Berrettini, retired from their match with Arnaldi leading 7:5, 5:2.
«I realized this is the chance of a lifetime,» expressed Cobolli, who is making his maiden Grand Slam semifinal appearance. «I am very happy.»
In his seventh attempt at a major tournament, Cobolli secured his first win against a top-ten opponent. Auger-Aliassime, who along with Alexander Zverev was one of the only players from the top ten to reach the quarterfinals, missed out on becoming the first Canadian to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros.
French Open: Matteo Arnaldi Joins Flavio Cobolli in the Semifinals
In windy conditions, Auger-Aliassime secured the first set. Subsequently, the roof over Court Philippe-Chatrier was closed. Under different circumstances, Cobolli staged an impressive comeback, ensuring that despite the early exit of top favorite Jannik Sinner, an Italian will compete in the final on Sunday.
In the night session, Arnaldi, ranked 104th in the world, and Berrettini, ranked 105th, engaged in a closely contested first set that lasted 82 minutes. However, Berrettini’s dream of his first Roland Garros semifinal was cut short in the second set due to an injury.
«He played an incredible tournament,» Arnaldi stated in reference to Berrettini, as he advanced to his first Grand Slam semifinal. «I am sorry for him. I hope he recovers.»