Cobolli advances to French Open final after Arnaldi’s viral withdrawal

Flavio Cobolli has secured his place in the French Open final after his semi-final opponent, Matteo Arnaldi, withdrew from the match due to a viral illness. The announcement was made approximately 25 minutes before the scheduled start time on Friday, with Arnaldi, ranked 104th, citing severe symptoms that rendered him unable to compete.

Arnaldi, who had never previously progressed past the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament, described the withdrawal as an experience he would not wish on anyone. He reported suffering from dizziness, stomach ache, and vomiting, noting an inability to eat or drink. The Italian player stated that despite attempting to assess his condition, the physical toll made playing impossible.

Cobolli, the 10th seed, will now face German second seed Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday. Zverev reached the decider after defeating Jakub Mensik and is considered the title favourite following the early exits of world number one Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Cobolli, making his first major final appearance, described the situation as extremely difficult, noting he was moved to tears when Arnaldi visited him prior to the announcement.

The two players, who are close friends and have represented Italy together at the Davis Cup, held a joint news conference immediately following the withdrawal. To minimise the risk of transmission, they sat at opposite ends of the interview table. Arnaldi apologised to the 15,000 fans in attendance at Roland Garros, with organisers confirming that full refunds would be issued to ticket-holders.

Arnaldi’s journey to the semi-finals was notable for its duration, lasting 19 hours and 42 minutes on court. This marks the longest time spent by any player reaching the last four of a major tournament since 1991. The final against Zverev, who holds a record of nine clay-court titles including four at the French Open, is scheduled for Sunday.