Flavio Cobolli, a 24-year-old Italian, has advanced to his first Grand Slam semi-final at the French Open, defeating Canadian fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a four-set match. This victory sets up an all-Italian semi-final, guaranteeing an Italian finalist in the tournament.
Cobolli, the 10th seed, will face compatriot Matteo Arnaldi on Friday for a spot in Sunday’s final. Arnaldi secured his place after his opponent, Matteo Berrettini, retired from their quarter-final due to a hip injury while Arnaldi was close to a two-set lead.
Superstitions and a notable encounter
During his press conference, Cobolli discussed his various superstitions, which he admitted have become more pronounced this week. These rituals include visiting the same restaurant, ordering the same menu, and using the same shower cubicle at Roland Garros.
He recounted an incident from a previous French Open where he was using a shower and 14-time champion Rafael Nadal knocked on the door, asking him to hurry as it had been his preferred cubicle for 14 years. Cobolli humorously suggested that using Nadal’s shower might be contributing to his success.
Cobolli recovered from losing the first set against Auger-Aliassime, ultimately winning with scores of 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4. The match lasted three hours and 24 minutes. He is set to make his top-10 debut on Monday if Jakub Mensik, who will play Alexander Zverev in the other semi-final, does not win the title in Paris.
Match progression and Italian success
The match began with challenging, blustery conditions on Court Philippe Chatrier, where Auger-Aliassime took the opening set at 5-4. Conditions improved after the roof was closed on the main court. Despite an early break down in the second set, Cobolli rallied, winning four consecutive games to level the tie.
Cobolli reflected on the contrasting conditions, stating, “The first set was incredibly windy and it was really tough to play.” He also shared that he took a moment in the toilet to regroup, telling himself, “this is the best court I’ve played on in my life because I can show my best tennis.” He resolved to fight and give his all, viewing it as the chance of his life.
A single break in both the third and fourth sets was sufficient for Cobolli to secure his semi-final berth. Auger-Aliassime’s elimination means that Cobolli and second seed Zverev are the only top-10 seeds remaining in the men’s draw.
The guaranteed Italian finalist follows the unexpected second-round exit of favourite Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti being ruled out due to injury. Cobolli expressed happiness for Italian tennis, noting that other Italians, beyond Sinner and Musetti, would be in the final this week.
When asked about imagining winning the title, Cobolli stated he is focusing on the next match, acknowledging he is close but there is still a lot to achieve. He also mentioned that his background in football might have contributed to his physical condition and endurance, which aids his tennis.
The semi-final match between Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi is scheduled for Friday.
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