How underdog Flavio Cobolli can write next page in Italian success story in French Open final
· Yahoo Sports
After a tournament of upsets, crash-outs and rank outsiders storming into the mainstream, the men’s and women’s French Open finals have ended up looking remarkably familiar. Three of the four finalists were seeds, with an Italian man and Polish woman both in the line-up. That they weren’t the expected pairing was testament to the upside-down quality of this Roland-Garros – and the determination of both characters.
Poland’s Maja Chwalinska had previously shown promise on clay but was always a highly unlikely finalist, rising from world No 114 to just outside the top 20 and coming through three qualifying matches to even make the main draw.
Visit sport-tr.bet for more information.
Meanwhile the men’s final will not feature Jannik Sinner, nor the absent Lorenzo Musetti, but another promising young Italian seizing the opportunity of the draw suddenly collapsing around him. 10th seed Flavio Cobolli is now into his first major final and while his story may not rival Chwalinska’s for its Cinderella quality, it writes another page in one of the most remarkable success stories this decade: the seemingly endless rise of Italian tennis.
Three Italians made the quarter-finals and Cobolli then guaranteed an Italian finalist, while Andrea Vavassori and Sara Errani have already secured one title this week, in mixed doubles. There are six Italians in the top 100 and two more hovering just outside: quarter-finalist Matteo Berrettini, whose tournament was crippled once more by injury, and semi-finalist Matteo Arnaldi, whose big moment was spoiled by viral illness.
So it is 24-year-old Cobolli who is the last man standing. In many ways the clear foil to the level-headed, introspective Sinner, Cobolli is charismatic on and off the court, his game full of style and flair, and he has for some time been a natural understudy to his compatriot.
He stepped up to fill the void left by the four-time major winner in last year’s Davis Cup, saving seven match points in the semi-final en route to sealing their title defence. And the 24-year-old has stepped up again in Paris, with his quarter-final victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime guaranteeing an Italian flag in the final, even without the country’s totemic player.
He advanced to the final by walkover after his semi-final opponent, Arnaldi, withdrew with illness just 25 minutes before the pair had been due to take to the court. Cobolli joined him for a press conference immediately afterward – sat far apart in a move harking back to the Covid days – and gave an emotional speech to his close friend, revealing, “When he came to me [to explain] I almost cried.”
Cobolli advanced to the final after compatriot Arnaldi withdrew (Getty)Cobolli is a bubbly, extroverted character and his genuine affection and disappointment for Arnaldi was endearing. But immediately after the press conference he switched back into tournament mode, heading straight to a practice session on Court Philippe-Chatrier to give the to-be-reimbursed ticket holders at least something to watch, walking out with the mascots who had been selected for the semi-final and having a knockabout with a delighted fan.
An extra day off before Sunday’s final will have given him more time to recover from the rigours of five-set tennis, but no doubt also further built up the nerves, and the emotion, before the biggest day of his life.
He only reached the top 20 in the world last July, but is guaranteed to break into the world’s top 10 for the first time when the rankings are updated on Monday, and would rise to fifth should he lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
Cobolli beat Auger-Aliassime, the highest seed left in his half, in four sets (Reuters)An excellent mover and a natural on clay, Cobolli has been relatively untroubled throughout this fortnight. The Florence native has dropped only two sets and was most impressive in grinding down the resistance of the highest-ranked player left in his half, fourth seed and title contender Auger-Aliassime, despite the conditions and closed roof for most of their encounter being expected to favour the Canadian.
He will similarly be the underdog against Zverev, the second seed and overwhelming favourite, and if the nerves do not get to Cobolli first the world No 14 can swing freely, with all the pressure on the other side of the net. Zverev has been remarkably consistent on serve throughout this fortnight and has ironed out most issues with his game, but his tendency towards passivity in big moments remains a weakness to exploit and Cobolli’s supreme athleticism could further trouble him.
The pair have one win apiece on clay this year, with Cobolli triumphing in Munich on his way to the final before Zverev got one back in the Madrid quarter-finals. It will be his most difficult task yet, and a huge test of the mental fortitude which has seen him avoid following Sinner, Novak Djokovic, and many other elite players out of the Roland-Garros exit door.
The lively, windy conditions in Paris thus far this weekend have caused trouble for many players and the roof being open on Chatrier, as is expected, should benefit the Italian. A win for the 24-year-old would be a fitting end to a tournament dominated both by upsets and, as shown in the women’s final, by rising stars fulfilling their potential. And it would be just reward for the faith of those Italian fans to have bought Chatrier tickets weeks in advance.