The 24-year-old Roman, Flavio Cobolli, upset fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets on Wednesday to reach his maiden grand slam semi-final. He will face either Matteo Berrettini or Matteo Arnaldi in an unprecedented all-Italian showdown.
Flavio Cobolli continued Italy’s remarkable dominance of men’s tennis on Wednesday, storming into the semi-finals of Roland Garros with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over fourth-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The result guarantees, for the first time in history, an all-Italian men’s semi-final at a grand slam, and ensures that an Italian man will contest Sunday’s final.
“I felt this would be the chance of my life and I have to give everything,” Cobolli said after the match. “This is the best court I have played on in my life because I can bring my best tennis.”
A match of two halves
The opening set was played in difficult, blustery conditions that suited Auger-Aliassime’s game more than Cobolli’s. The Canadian struck nine more winners in the set, using depth consistently to force errors from his Italian opponent, and took the first set after an hour’s play. The roof on Philippe-Chatrier was then closed, temporarily appearing to favour the fourth seed as conditions stabilised, and he duly raced to a 3-1 lead in the second set.
But Cobolli regrouped. A visit to the bathroom between sets gave him time to recalibrate, and from 3-1 down in the second, the Italian sparked one of the afternoon’s key moments, breaking Auger-Aliassime in the fifth game when the Canadian’s looped forehand dropped wide. That was the turning point. Cobolli lifted his intensity, began dictating with his forehand, and never looked back, taking the second set and then controlling the third and fourth with increasing authority.
The statistics told the story of a match won on the pressure points. Cobolli won 10 of 14 points at 30/30, saved all seven break points he faced in the third set, and improved his head-to-head record against Auger-Aliassime to 3-0.
History in the making
Cobolli’s victory completes an extraordinary week for Italian tennis at Roland Garros. He will now face a countryman in the semi-finals — whichever of Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi progresses from Wednesday evening’s quarter-final. It is only the third time two Italian men have reached the semi-finals at a grand slam: Nicola Pietrangeli and Orlando Sirola achieved the feat at Roland Garros in 1960, and Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti did so in Paris just last year.
For there to be an all-Italian final, Cobolli would also need to win his semi-final.
The path has been eased by the early exit of world number one Jannik Sinner, who suffered a shock second-round defeat to Argentine Juan Manuel Cerundolo last week. His exit left the top half of the draw wide open. Cobolli has been among the most determined in exploiting the opportunity.
The Roman, currently ranked world number 14, is now guaranteed to break into the top ten on Monday for the first time in his career, regardless of results.
Two wins from history
Cobolli holds three tour-level titles, two of them on clay — in Hamburg and Bucharest — but has never won a title above ATP 500 level. He reached his first grand slam quarter-final at Wimbledon last year.
The last Italian man to win Roland Garros was Adriano Panatta, fifty years ago in 1976. With two wins remaining, Cobolli has the chance to end that half-century wait.
“I will go to dinner with my friends, I will go to bed and sleep,” Cobolli said when asked whether he planned to watch his semi-final opponent in action on Wednesday evening.
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