Flavio Cobolli will play his first Grand Slam final today against Alexander Zverev at the 2026 French Open.
The Italian, seeded 10th in Paris, has enjoyed a strong campaign so far, beating the likes of Learner Tien and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Cobolli was set to face compatriot Matteo Arnaldi in the semifinals, but the latter withdrew right before their match due to illness.
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Now, the 24-year-old will take on Zverev for the fourth time in his career, with the German leading the head-to-head 3-1.
Ahead of the final, Arnaldi took to social media to send a message to his countryman.
Matteo Arnaldi speaks after withdrawing from Roland Garros
In a post on Instagram, Arnaldi said: “This is not how I wanted it to end.
“I gave everything I had here in Paris. 19 hours and 42 minutes of unreal battles and emotions. A first Grand Slam semifinal, memories I’ll carry forever.”
“Flavio, I know you’ll make all of Italy proud. Goodbye, Paris, see you next year.”
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Arnaldi recorded by far his best result at a Grand Slam at this year’s French Open, having only gone as far at the fourth round at majors prior to the tournament.
During his impressive run, Arnaldi battled past Tallon Griekspoor, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Frances Tiafoe.
In the ATP live rankings, he has moved up 70 spots from world number 104 to 34th, after gaining 750 points.
Flavio Cobolli’s message to Matteo Arnaldi after the withdrawal
After Arnaldi’s withdrawal, Cobolli also took to Instagram to share a message of his own.
He said: “The dream. The biggest one.
“Tomorrow I get the chance to play the Roland Garros final after two weeks I will never forget.
“@mattearnalds: I’m really sorry you couldn’t play the semifinal. You deserved to be there. I’m sure many big moments are waiting for you ahead. Allez Paris.
Before Roland Garros, Cobolli’s best result at a Grand Slam was a quarterfinals finish at last year’s Wimbledon championships.
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