Anna Danilina: Cobolli Reaches First Grand Slam Semifinal in 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Win
anna danilina Flavio Cobolli turned a one-set deficit into a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win over Felix Auger-Aliassime at Roland-Garros 2026. The 10th seed reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal and assured an Italian finalist in Paris.
Cobolli on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Cobolli lost the opening set and trailed 3-1 in the second after the roof closed, but he answered by winning five of the next six games to level the match. He finished it on Court Philippe-Chatrier, taking his third win in three meetings with Auger-Aliassime and breaking into the top-10.
Auger-Aliassime, the No. 4 seed, had taken the first set and was in control early in the second before the shift. Cobolli said after the match, “I think we played two different matches today” and added, “The first set was incredibly windy, and it was really tough to play.”
Berrettini and Arnaldi in the draw
The result carried Italian tennis deeper into the tournament. Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi were facing each other for a place in the last four, so Cobolli’s win guaranteed an Italian finalist at Roland-Garros 2026.
That was the backdrop to a match Cobolli treated like a career line. “I just said to myself to fight because I felt like this is the chance of my life,” he said. He also said, “I have to give everything in my matches, and today I did it, so I'm really happy.”
Roland-Garros pressure
Cobolli’s path came with extra weight because the draw had already lost Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. The opening set against Auger-Aliassime was the only stretch he did not control, and he said, “I tried to breathe on the changeover, don't watch my team, because I felt that they were more nervous than me.”
He also described a tactical reset after the early trouble, saying, “I went to the toilet to think a bit to change something.” On the final game, he added, “Today in the last game I think I played very good tennis with good serve and good first shot.”
