The first all-Italian men’s singles semifinal at the French Open took a disappointing turn as Matteo Arnaldi had to pull out of his match against Flavio Cobolli due to a viral illness in Paris. This unfortunate circumstance led to Cobolli advancing to his first Grand Slam final, where he is set to compete against Alexander Zverev on Sunday.
Arnaldi, ranked No. 34 in the ATP Live Rankings, had been battling a viral illness since the early hours of Friday, which ultimately prevented him from participating in the second semifinal match at Court Philippe-Chatrier. The Italian player shared that he had been experiencing stomach issues, leading to vomiting overnight and rendering him unfit to compete.
In a press conference held alongside Cobolli, Arnaldi expressed his disappointment at not being able to continue, citing his deteriorating health condition that began the night before. Despite feeling fine during practice earlier, he started feeling unwell after dinner, leading to a series of health setbacks that culminated in his withdrawal from the tournament.
Arnaldi’s withdrawal marks a rare occurrence at this stage of a major tournament, with the last similar incident happening at Wimbledon in 2022 when Rafael Nadal withdrew before a semifinal match. Meanwhile, Cobolli secured his spot in the final by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in a four-set match, setting the stage for a showdown with Zverev for the Grand Slam title.
