Flavio Cobolli rallied from a set down to beat Canadian fourth seed Félix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday at Roland Garros, reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal and guaranteeing that an Italian man will play in Sunday's final. The 24-year-old from Rome, seeded 10th, held all 13 of his service games after the opening set and broke Auger-Aliassime once in each of the final three sets to secure the breakthrough victory.
How Cobolli turned the match around
Auger-Aliassime controlled the opening set with aggressive serving and early court dominance, winning 6-4 on a windy day inside Court Philippe-Chatrier. Cobolli left the court briefly to regroup, then returned with a sharper return position and willingness to take the ball earlier on his forehand. He broke back mid-second set and held firm to level at 6-4, then carried that momentum through the third and fourth sets with heavy topspin and precise angles on clay.
Historic all-Italian semifinal guaranteed
Cobolli's win ensures the first all-Italian men's semifinal in Grand Slam history on Friday. He will face the winner of the other quarterfinal between Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi, meaning either Cobolli or one of the Mateos will reach Sunday's final. It has been exactly 50 years since an Italian man won Roland Garros—Adriano Panatta in 1976—and Cobolli shares the same Rome club, Tennis Club Parioli, with that champion.
Cobolli enters top 10, Auger-Aliassime's run ends
Cobolli has dropped only two sets across five matches at this year's tournament. His ranking will rise to No. 10 in the live standings, though he will need either to reach the final or see Alexander Zverev defeat Jakub Mensik in the other semifinal to secure a top-10 debut. For Auger-Aliassime, the loss ends a run in which he had won his first three matches despite dropping the opening set each time, then defeated Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets in the round of 16.
Sources
- theScore: Italy's Cobolli beats Auger-Aliassime to reach 1st Grand Slam semifinal. Associated Press, 2026-06-03.
- India Today: Flavio Cobolli fights past Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach maiden Grand Slam semis. 2026-06-03.
- Tennis Majors: An Italian will play the men's final at Roland-Garros: Cobolli into the semi-finals, defeating Auger-Aliassime. 2026-06-03.
- Lottomatica.Sport: Classifica ATP live, Cobolli per la prima volta in top 10 dopo la vittoria con Auger-Aliassime. 2026-06-03.
Reported from public sources.