PARIS: The last 48 hours have been a roller-coaster ride for world No. 14 Flavio Cobolli. He reached his first Roland Garros semifinal after rallying past fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals and was due to face friend and compatriot Matteo Arnaldi in the first all-Italian men’s semifinal at any Grand Slam.
While the Italian media was abuzz with anticipation, Arnaldi withdrew from the last four with a viral illness. The announcement reduced Cobolli to tears while also sending him into his first major final without having struck a ball in the semifinal. There is no telling how that will affect the Italian when he takes on second seed Alexander Zverev, who will be playing his fourth major final.
Numbers Favor Zverev
The numbers are largely in favour of the 6ft-6in German heading into the final. Zverev is 39-1 against players ranked outside the Top 10 at Roland Garros since 2018, his only defeat coming against then world No. 75 Jannik Sinner in 2020. He also owns a 3-1 head-to-head record against 24-year-old Cobolli. What may encourage the Italian is that they have split their two meetings this year, both played on clay. Zverev, meanwhile, is 0-3 in Grand Slam finals.
About the Author
Prajwal Hegde, Senior Editor (Tennis) at The Times of India since July 2005, has covered all four Grand Slams—Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open—for over a decade, along with Tour events across Asia and Europe, Davis Cup, and BJK Cup. She received the 2021 Ron Bookman Media Excellence Award from the ATP. Prajwal serves on the International Tennis Federation’s Media Commission and is a member of the International Tennis Writers Association. She appears in the docuseries Break Point and authored the Steffi Graf chapter in Sportstars 40, published by The Hindu in January 2020.
