Flavio Cobolli is into his first Grand Slam semi-final after beating fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime at Roland Garros on Wednesday. The 24-year-old Italian came from a set down to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, booking his place in the last four of the French Open 2026 after three hours and 23 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The 10th seed will now play fellow Italian Matteo Arnaldi on Friday for a place in Sunday’s final. Arnaldi advanced after Matteo Berrettini retired from their quarter-final due to a hip injury.
For Cobolli, this is new territory. He had never previously beaten a top-10 opponent at a major, going into the match with a 0-6 record in such contests. That changed in Paris.
A Slow Start in Difficult Conditions
The match was far from straightforward in its opening stages. Both players started slowly in blustery conditions on Court Philippe-Chatrier before Auger-Aliassime pounced at 5-4 to wrap up the opening set.
The Canadian struck nine more winners than Cobolli in the first set and consistently used depth to draw errors from his opponent. Auger-Aliassime was the sharper of the two when the wind made clean ball-striking almost impossible.
Playing conditions improved after the roof was closed on the main show court, but Cobolli found himself an early break down in the second set before he rallied to win four games in a row and level the tie.
Cobolli’s own words summed up the shift in his mindset during the interval. “I went to the toilet to think a bit. I tried to change something. I thought this is the best court I have played on in my life because I can show my best tennis,” he said. “I said to myself to fight, this is the chance of my life.”
Cobolli Takes Control to Seal the Win
Once Cobolli found his rhythm, the match changed completely. From 3-1 down in the second set, Auger-Aliassime was broken in the fifth game when a looped forehand dropped wide, giving Cobolli a foothold that ignited the Italian.
Cobolli demonstrated great footwork to dictate on his forehand, while he played well on the pressure points, winning 10 of 14 30/30 points in the match. He fended off all seven break points he faced in the third set, a sign of how composed he had become after the shaky opening.
A single break in each of the third and fourth sets was enough to see him through, and he closed out the match without any major alarms in the final stages. It was controlled, efficient, and exactly what a semi-final run requires.
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What This Means for Italian Tennis
Cobolli’s win has guaranteed the first all-Italian men’s major semi-final in history, and there will be an Italian in Sunday’s final. This comes despite Jannik Sinner’s shock second-round exit and Lorenzo Musetti being ruled out through injury earlier in the tournament.
The last time an Italian man won Roland Garros was in 1976, when Adriano Panatta triumphed. Fifty years on, Italy now has two players with a real chance of ending that wait.
Cobolli also has a superstition helping him along. He has been using the same shower cubicle that Rafael Nadal favoured during his 14 French Open title runs. Nadal once knocked on the door and told Cobolli it was his shower. Cobolli has kept going back ever since. Two wins from a maiden Grand Slam title, it seems to be working.
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