Flavio Cobolli is through to the Roland Garros final after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew from their semifinal matchup on Friday.
The two were set to face off for the third time in their careers with both stars looking to reach a maiden Grand Slam final.
Cobolli will now take on second seed and favourite Alexander Zverev on Sunday.
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After pulling out of the tournament, Arnaldi faced the media alongside his compatriot to release a statement.
Matteo Arnaldi reacts after withdrawing from Roland Garros
In a press conference with Cobolli present, Arnaldi said: “It’s difficult to be here. It’s not what I wanted to do. But last night I started to feel not very well.
“Yesterday I was feeling okay. I came to practice and did everything I had to do. I felt fine. I had dinner. I started to feel so-so with my stomach.
“I was like ‘alright, just didn’t digest very well.’ I woke up at 1 am and started vomiting. I wasn’t feeling the best.
“Then I tried to sleep. Couldn’t sleep at all. At 6, 7 am I vomited again. This time it was pretty bad. We called the doctor in the room.
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“He came and gave me some stuff. I was hoping it could just be something from dinner or something like that. Throughout the day, I couldn’t eat. Every time I ate or drank something I would go back to the bathroom.
“So it’s tough. It’s tough. For how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I was actually feeling very good.
“To have to withdraw from my first Slam semifinal is not something you wish for anybody. I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here.
“Tried to see if I could go on court, but every time I got up I feel dizzy and I don’t feel the best. I’m pretty sure if I eat again I won’t feel good. That was the right decision for me to take.”
Alexander Zverev’s record against Flavio Cobolli on the ATP Tour
Zverev will take on Cobolli for the fifth time on the ATP Tour, with the German currently leading the head-to-head 3-1.
They met for the first time at last year’s French Open, where Zverev won in straight sets to advance to the fourth round.
Zverev triumphed in their second bout at the Halle Open later that season, but Cobolli earned revenge at the 2026 Munich Open.
Cobolli ended Zverev’s Munich Open title defence earlier this season, beating him in straight sets on the clay.
Their most recent matchup came at the 2026 Madrid Open, where Zverev won 6-1, 6-4.
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