PARIS/WASHINGTON, June 6, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
The red-brick dust was barely settled on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the French Open Friday evening, following the only men’s singles semifinal that wound up being played, in which No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev defeated No. 26 seed Jakub Mensik in four sets to advance to his second Roland-Garros final.
Twenty minutes before the start of the second semifinal, an all-Italian derby – the first all-Italian men’s major semifinal in Roland-Garros history – between No. 10 seed Flavio Cobolli and 104th-ranked Matteo Arnaldi, Arnaldi withdrew with a virus. It meant that Cobolli, his friend and Davis Cup teammate, would advance to Sunday’s final without having to lift a racquet or play a single point of their scheduled semifinal.
“When he came to me, I almost cried.” 😢🇮🇹
A viral illness forces a heartbroken Matteo Arnaldi to withdraw, sending his close friend Flavio Cobolli straight into his first Grand Slam final. #RolandGarroshttps://t.co/9QQdz0zpKt
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2026
“It’s tough for me to speak right now. When he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried,” the 24-year-old Florentine said during a hastily-announced joint news conference. Cobolli was sitting at the same podium – albeit socially-distanced – with the virus-carrying Arnaldi, two days before what would be the biggest match of his career against the 29-year-old Zverev in the Roland-Garros final.
“It’s something you don’t expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him.
“But, at the same time, of course, I’m really happy with the result that I reached this week. My dad also came to right before him, and we had a big hug together with the whole team for achieving the Top 10. Every time that I make the best ranking, we all together have a big hug. We did the same routine as always. Now, I’m sad and happy at the same time.”
Matteo Arnaldi at the press conference following his withdrawal from the tournament 🎙️#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/gsHAvA50hZ
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2026
According to Arnaldi, he started to feel ill Thursday evening. The 25-year-old Sanremo native said he went back to his hotel after dinner, but woke up sick and vomiting around 1 a.m.
“I think it’s a virus because I was feeling pretty cold,” said Arnaldi after being asked whether it thought he had caught a virus or was the victim of food poisoning. “I think I had a fever during the day. I don’t know to be honest. I just that I can’t move, and I can’t eat, and I can’t drink. There was really no way that I would be able to play. I feel sorry for everyone who had tickets and came, all the Italians who came to watch us. I feel happy for [Cobolli] that he’s going to play the final, but at the same time, sorry because we couldn’t play a match, so it’s tough to be here.”
Flavio with some thoughtful, heartfelt words for his friend Matteo 🥹❤️🩹#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/s5bCmhiFAx
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2026
Cobolli, whose run to the final has included victories over 18th seed Learner Tien of the United States and fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, praised the achievements of Arnaldi.
“Matteo is a big inspiration for all of us,” Cobolli said. “He’s an amazing player and an amazing professional. I think the best person outside the court for how he makes things, preparation of the match, focus, cooldown. He’s one of the best on the Tour, for sure.
“He deserves the result this week. He got injured last season and the beginning of this one. We all knew about his level. Everyone expects this result from him. His tennis is amazing. I wish him all the best for the future.”
Arnaldi’s remarkable run to the semifinals included a pair of five-set victories Raphael Collignon of Belgium and No. 19 seed Frances Tiafoe of the United States, and four-set wins over No. 29 seed Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. His PIF ATP Live Ranking has risen 70 spots to No. 34 as a result of his surprising run in Paris.
Cobolli will enter Sunday’s final against the three-time major finalist Zverev with a 1-3 lifetime win-loss record.
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Around the French Open
A nice postscript and a beautiful gesture from Flavio Cobolli Friday evening:
Following the sudden withdrawal of Matteo Arnaldi due to a viral illness from their all-Italian men’s singles semifinal, Cobolli decided to hold a practice session on Court Philippe-Chatrier in front of the crowd that remained after the match was cancelled.
Cobolli also gave the two kids, who were supposed to accompany him and Arnaldi during the pre-match walk outs, the chance to make their entrance onto the court and pose for photographs with the Italian star.
Un gesto bellissimo di Flavio 🥹🧡
Dopo il forfait di Arnaldi ha deciso di allenarsi sullo Chatrier davanti al pubblico che era accorso per gustarsi il derby.
Ha dato anche ai due bimbi, che avrebbero dovuto accompagnare lui e Matteo, la possibilità di fare il loro ingresso in… pic.twitter.com/JEGH9O7r84
— Eurosport IT (@Eurosport_IT) June 5, 2026
Friday’s Roland-Garros results
Saturday’s Roland-Garros order of play
Glory awaits on Philippe-Chatrier 🏆
Full Saturday’s order of play on https://t.co/wvNRC5UQgb.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/i5pfRjf2LO
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2026
By the numbers
Alexander Zverev is 0-3 lifetime in Grand Slam finals. Sunday’s French Open final is his fourth. The others: 2020 US Open (lost to Dominic Thiem), 2024 Roland-Garros (lost to Carlos Alcaraz), 2025 Australian Open (lost to Jannik Sinner).
“Quotable …”
“First of all, I am super happy that I could reach the semifinals and that I could beat a lot of top players. And actually, there were a lot of tough moments that it was basically already done for me. But I stood up and I kept fighting, and I find a way how to win.
“When the momentum was on my side and I was in a good shape and I was really up in my game, I showed my best. [There are] a lot of stories these two weeks, and when I’m talking about it and I’m keeping this rhythm two weeks, it’s super, super tough. I’m in a Grand Slam playing with the top players. Especially for me because it’s my first time, and a lot of things happen for the first time. I’m happy that I managed it quite well and I will take it as a great, great tournament.”
– No. 26 seed Jakub Mensik of Czechia, during his post-match news conference, following his semifinal loss to Alexander Zverev.
