Photo Credit:Getty Images
Flavio Cobolli produced an impressive comeback against fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the first Grand Slam semi-final of his career and guarantee Italy a place in Sunday's French Open final.
The 10th seed recovered from a set down to claim a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory on Court Philippe Chatrier. His reward is an all-Italian semi-final against either Matteo Berrettini or Matteo Arnaldi, who were set to face each other later on Wednesday.
Cobolli's victory ensures an Italian player will contest the Roland Garros final despite the surprise early exit of top favourite Jannik Sinner in the second round. It marks another significant achievement for Italian tennis, which continues to enjoy a strong presence on the sport's biggest stages.
Speaking after the match, Cobolli admitted he was not focused on which compatriot he would face next. Instead, his attention remained firmly on the possibility of going even further in the tournament.
"I don't care which Matteo is in the semi-finals. It's been the best week of my life but I'm still missing something, so I have to fight again," he said.
The 24-year-old is also on course for a major ranking milestone. He will break into the world's top 10 for the first time on Monday if Jakub Mensik does not go on to lift the trophy in Paris.
The contest began in difficult conditions, with strong winds making life challenging for both players. Auger-Aliassime handled the opening set slightly better and seized his opportunity at 5-4 to take an early lead.
After tournament officials closed the roof on the main stadium, conditions improved significantly. Even so, Cobolli found himself trailing by a break early in the second set. Rather than panic, he responded with a run of four consecutive games to turn the momentum in his favour and level the match.
Reflecting on the turnaround, Cobolli revealed he used the break between sets to regroup mentally and remind himself of the opportunity in front of him.
He said the windy conditions had made the first set extremely difficult but added that he told himself this was the biggest chance of his career and that he had to give everything on court.
Cobolli carried that determination into the final two sets, securing a single break in each to seal victory after three hours and 24 minutes.
With Auger-Aliassime eliminated, Cobolli and second seed Alexander Zverev are now the only top-10 seeds left in the men's draw, highlighting the unpredictable nature of this year's tournament.
