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Italian Flavio Cobolli staged a remarkable comeback from a set down to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the French Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, securing his place in a historic semi-final.
By eliminating the Canadian fourth seed, Cobolli has guaranteed that an Italian man will feature in the French Open final for the first time.
At the start of the tournament, this seemed likely, with top seed Jannik Sinner dominating on clay. However, Sinner’s shock second-round exit opened the draw dramatically, providing an opportunity that Cobolli and his compatriots have seized. Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi are set to face off in the other top-half quarter-final, with the winner scheduled to meet 10th seed Cobolli on Friday.
The quarter-final on Court Philippe Chatrier was a tightly contested affair, with the first three sets evenly matched. Cobolli earned the decisive break in the fifth game of the fourth set and served out the match with a precise cross-court forehand winner, cementing his first Grand Slam semi-final appearance.
“I felt like this is the chance of my life. I have to give everything in my matches and today I did that, so I’m really happy,” the Italian said, adding that he would not watch the upcoming match between Berrettini and Arnaldi, who are also his close friends, citing superstition.
“I will do my same routine as every day. I go dinner with my friends, I go to bed and I sleep,” he explained.
With this performance, the 24-year-old Cobolli will break into the ATP top 10 for the first time, signalling a breakthrough moment in his career and keeping Italian hopes alive at Roland Garros.
The semi-final will mark the first all-Italian men’s Grand Slam semi-final in history, a landmark moment for Italian tennis.
