Overview
- Matteo Arnaldi forfeited the Roland Garros semifinal after reporting severe stomach symptoms, repeated vomiting and fever that left him unable to stand or sleep, a withdrawal announced in his press conference on Friday.
- Flavio Cobolli was awarded the spot in the final and will play Aleksander Zverev on Sunday at Philippe-Chatrier after Zverev beat Jakub Mensik 7-5, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the match on court.
- Arnaldi’s pullout ended what would have been the first men’s Grand Slam semifinal between two Italians and left players and commentators visibly upset during immediate coverage and the post-withdrawal press conference.
- Cobolli is projected to enter the ATP top 10 on Monday because of the result and could rise further to about world No. 5 with a victory in the final, pending official ATP calculations.
- Medical commentary tied Arnaldi’s illness to extreme match load, noting he logged a record amount of court time during the tournament and that heavy physical stress can temporarily lower gut immunity and raise infection risk.