Matteo Arnaldi withdraws from French Open semifinal with virus, sending Flavio Cobolli to final
PARIS — Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi has withdrawn from his French Open semifinal against compatriot and No. 10 seed, Flavio Cobolli, around 20 minutes before the two players were due on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
According to tournament organizers, Arnaldi, the 25-year-old world No. 104 who had a storybook run to the final four, came down with a virus ahead of the match and could not play.
Tennis does not allow someone who has been eliminated from the main draw of a tournament to then take the place of someone who has beaten them. Fans will be reimbursed for their tickets, tournament organizers said.
“When he came to me almost one hour ago I almost cried,” Caboli said in a joint news conference after the announcement. “It’s something you don’t expect at all. I was completely sad for him.”
Arnaldi said he started feeling ill Thursday evening. After dinner, he went back to his hotel but woke up sick and vomiting around 1 a.m.
“I had a fever too during the day. I can’t move, I can’t eat, I can’t drink. There was no way I would be able to play. I feel sorry for all the fans,” he said.
It’s the first time this has happened at a Grand Slam since 2022, when Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Wimbledon semifinal against Nick Kyrgios, sending the Australian to the first and only Grand Slam final of his career to date. He lost to Novak Djokovic, in four sets.
Cobolli will face No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev Sunday, after the 29-year-old German defeated Jakub Menšík of the Czech Republic earlier Friday.
It was the latest bizarre turn for a tournament that has been full of them:
Carlos Alcaraz could not defend his title because of a wrist injury. Jannik Sinner was overcome by ill health, heat and cramps in his second-round match, losing to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in five sets after being one game from a three-set win.
Novak Djokovic lost to João Fonseca the next day after being up two-sets-to-love, doing so for only the second time in 302 such matches.
The women’s world No. 114, Maja Chwalińska is in the women’s final. The women’s world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, was within two points of closing out a quarterfinal win against No. 22 seed Diana Shnaider, then lost 10 games in a row and went out.
Four-time champion and world No. 2 Iga Świątek lost in the fourth round. Coco Gauff, the defending champion, lost in the third round.
The withdrawal, combined with Zverev’s win over Menšík, sets up a final showdown that few would have predicted when the tournament started. In a very dramatic Roland Garros, there may be more drama to come.
