Matteo Arnaldi secured a spot in his first Grand Slam semi-final at Roland Garros when Matteo Berrettini withdrew from their quarterfinal match due to a hip injury. Berrettini, the former Wimbledon finalist, retired while trailing 7-5, 5-2, making Arnaldi the second man in the Open era to win a Roland-Garros quarterfinal by retirement.
Berrettini mentioned feeling discomfort in his hip during the first set but tried to ignore it. Despite a challenging match, he continued to play his best until his condition worsened. Arnaldi, ranked 104th, capitalized on the situation after a tough start and claimed the opening set by winning seven of the next nine games.
Following a grueling first set, Berrettini’s performance declined, and he took a medical timeout in the second set. Despite his efforts to continue playing, he eventually had to concede the match after struggling for two hours. Arnaldi, who has spent significant time on court during the tournament, will now face Flavio Cobolli in the semi-finals.
Arnaldi, the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in Paris since 1997, expressed his excitement about the upcoming matches. He will be up against Cobolli, his childhood acquaintance, in the semi-finals. Cobolli, seeded 10th, secured his place in the semi-finals by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime.
