Matteo Arnaldi pulled out of the French Open semi-final just 20 minutes before his match against Flavio Cobolli. The Italian is reportedly suffering from an illness and failed to recover on time before the heavyweight clash.ย
The high-profile semi-final clash was scheduled to begin at 10:30 pm IST on Court Philippe Chatrier. Instead, the contest was called off shortly before the players were due to take the court. It eventually allowed the world number 14 Cobolli through to Sunday’s Roland Garros, where he will challenge the favourite Alexander Zverev.ย
Meanwhile, Arnaldi’s journey to the semi-finals lasted a total of 19 hours and 42 minutes, making it the longest route taken by any men’s player to a Grand Slam semi-final since 1991. The 25-year-old, despite being ranked 104, proved his mettle in Paris this summer, beating the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round. He defeated fellow Italian Matteo Berrettini in the quarter final, before the virus forced him to hand a walkover before playing his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final.ย
Zverev beat Jakub Mensik for RG final
Zverev moved within one victory of securing his first Grand Slam title after defeating the 26th-seeded Czech Jakub Mensik in four sets to reach the French Open final. The second seed overcame a brief third-set setback to complete a 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory on Court Philippe-Chatrier, advancing to the fourth major final of his career and a second at Roland Garros.
The German appeared firmly in control after claiming the opening two sets, using a dominant serve and capitalising on key opportunities. Mensik, playing in his first Grand Slam semi-final, responded strongly despite requiring medical attention for his neck during the third set and managed to extend the contest.
Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived, though. Zverev regained control early in the fourth set, creating separation with an immediate break and maintaining command on serve to close out the match.
“He [Mensik] beat so many unbelievable players and I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge I had so far. I managed, I won, and I am happy. He started playing amazing in the third set. He stepped up to another level. This is a Grand Slam. Opponents are going to play better, and you have to deal with it โ and I did,โ Zverev said after the game.
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