Arnaldi withdraws, Cobolli reaches final in French Open Semi-final Withdrawal

Matteo Arnaldi’s french open semi-final withdrawal ended his match against Flavio Cobolli 25 minutes before it was due to begin, sending Cobolli into his first Grand Slam final without a ball being struck. Arnaldi said a virus left him dizzy after vomiting multiple times on Thursday night.

Arnaldi at Roland Garros

Arnaldi said, "Every time I get up I feel dizzy and I don’t feel like the best, and I’m pretty sure if I eat again I’m not going to feel good, so that was the right decision," after pulling out. The withdrawal changed the final-four match-up immediately, and the two Italians later sat far apart on the interview podium in an unusual press conference.

Cobolli said, "It’s tough for me to speak also. When he came to me an hour ago I almost cried" and added, "I was ready to play this match and when he came I was completely sad for him, but at the same time of course I’m really happy for the result that I reached this week." The 10th seed advanced to his first Grand Slam final without competing in the semi-final.

Zverev and Mensik

Alexander Zverev, the second seed and world No 3, beat Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the French Open final. Zverev said, "Amazing the way he played these last two weeks," and added, "He beat so many unbelievable players and I knew it was going to be the toughest challenge that I had so far. I managed, I won. I’m happy."

Zverev will face Cobolli on Sunday in his fourth Grand Slam final. He has previously lost the 2020 US Open final to Dominic Thiem, the 2024 French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz and the 2025 Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner.