Key events
Berrettini and Arnaldi are coming up in the night session, in about half an hour. It’s time to wrap up this blog now, but Tumaini’s report on the men’s quarter-finals will follow later. Thanks for your company today and do join us again tomorrow for the women’s semi-finals. À demain!
Cobolli is asked how he turned the match around. “I think we played two different matches today. The first set was incredibly windy, it was really tough to play. I just said to myself to fight because this is the chance of my life. And I did it. Now we have to wait for [the second semi-final]. They’re two of my good friends, so I wish them good luck. I hope they enjoy the match.” He took a picture with the Champions League trophy two days ago; now he’s two wins from getting his hands on the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
Cobolli defeats Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4!
AA holds to love, to at least remind Cobolli that the job isn’t done yet. But here comes Cobolli to serve for a spot in the last four. The 24-year-old puffs out his cheeks … before missing his first serve. No bother – AA goes wide after Cobolli lands his second. So one point down, three to go. Make that two. And a driving forehand brings up triple match point! Cobolli steps up … and double faults. Cue the biggest collective gasp of the match. The gasps soon turn into cheers though as Cobolli, somewhat fittingly, ends with another forehand winner! The tremendously talented Italian breaks new ground by winning the battle of the forehands to reach his first slam semi, where he’ll face either Matteo Berrettini or Matteo Arnaldi, with an Italian finalist guaranteed.
AA stops the run of three games against him, with a hold to 15, but Cobolli has the look of a man who means business as he accelerates to 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, with a thunderous cross-court forehand on the third point! Wow. He then goes for an inside-in forehand winner … but the ball lands wide. 40-15. AA bludgeons a backhand for 40-30, but Cobolli is cranking up the pressure with his forehand once more, before he finishes off the point with a wonderful, improvised, angled winner at the net! Cobolli is a game away from his first grand slam semi-final, up 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 5-3!
15-0, 30-0. 40-0. Game. What a way to back up the break. Cobolli’s forehand is getting quicker and quicker, now up at an average of about 90mph, and AA’s forehand, normally his best shot, has been stunned into submission. Cobolli leads 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 4-2.
A lucky net cord helps Cobolli move to 0-30. “That’s enough to make you want to throw up if you’re Felix,” declares McEnroe. If AA is feeling queasy he’s not showing it as he pelts through the next two points, to restore parity at 30-all. But Cobolli’s shot then skids off the line and AA misfires. 30-40. Take this break point and Cobolli will be three games away. And AA, impatiently, blazes into the tramlines! Could that be the decisive moment? Cobolli is celebrating as though it could be. He’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 3-2 ahead with the break!
There’s not much to see here, as AA claims another straightforward hold, to 15. The serving script is at risk of being ripped up when AA advances to 30-all on Cobolli’s serve, but Cobolli’s classy response means he takes the next two points. Cobolli is seeing the ball like a football on his forehand side at the moment, which is perhaps no surprise given that he used to be in Roma’s academy. He’s a man of many talents. Cobolli leads 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 2-2, as the match clock ticks past three hours.
Cobolli had dropped only one set before this quarter-final, Auger-Aliassime four, so Cobolli may well be the fresher as he looks to turn his two sets to one lead into a semi-final spot. AA leaves the court between sets to regroup, and he seems over his funk as he gets the fourth set under way by gliding to 40-0 on serve. “Forza, forza!” screams Cobolli’s coach and father, Stefano, who used to work with Matteo Berrettini in his junior days. It doesn’t make any difference to the course of this game, though, as AA holds, but Cobolli zips through the next one to love for 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 1-1.
Cobolli wins the third set 6-4
A rapid hold from AA after all the tumult of the previous game. So Cobolli will serve for the third set at 5-4 … and he begins by sending AA right and then left and AA misfires. AA, now wearing a fresh shirt, is lucky when Cobolli’s cross-court forehand flies just wide. 15-all. 30-15. AA, speaking in French, is complaining to the umpire; I’m not sure what the problem is. But his mood darkens when a huge serve from Cobolli sets up the next point. 40-15, two set points. And Cobolli calmly settles the set with a winning drop shot!
Confusion at 40-15 on Cobolli’s serve as AA slides to Cobolli’s drop shot, hits a winner down the line, slips and lets go of his racket. Does AA concede the point? No, because he released the racket after his shot. So it’s 40-30. Then deuce. And here’s a double fault and break point! Cobolli resists it, and a second, but AA, the front of his black shirt now covered in the red clay from his fall, pounds away to get a third BP. And a rally of the highest intensity ends when AA, under immense pressure, loops his forehand wide! Cobolli secures what could prove to be a massive hold from there. That was perhaps the game of the match. And the Italian is 4-6, 6-4, 5-3 ahead.
AA secures a quicker than quick service game to love, before Cobolli crunches a couple of aces en route to a hold to 30. There’s nothing to pick between them at 6-4, 4-6, 3-3, though AA’s winner count is up to 32, compared with only 14 from Cobolli. It’s Cobolli’s greater steadiness that moves him to break point at 30-40 … and AA thumps just over the baseline! AA gives the line a stare, the umpire is out of his chair checking the mark, but it’s confirmed out. Cobolli breaks for a 4-3 lead in the third set!
Three poor misses from Cobolli and it’s three break points. If he goes on to lose this match, he’ll be seeing this game in his sleep. But he gamely gets himself out of that 0-40 predicament and it’s deuce. AA attempts a drop shot but it slides into the net. Advantage Cobolli. Egalité. Advantage Cobolli, after a backhand face-off. Jeu Cobolli. Somehow they remain on serve.
Cobolli’s box are on their feet after a fine backhand down the line, which AA gets a racket to but can’t get back into play. Cobolli has such finesse, as so many of the Italians do. But from 15-30, Cobolli concedes the next two points on AA’s serve, with AA outdoing Cobolli’s backhand winner with possibly his best shot of the tournament, on the run, being flung from one corner to the other, to get to 40-30! Mon dieu! Cobolli comes back for deuce, but AA stands firm from there. It’s 6-4, 4-6, 2-1.
AA suddenly reverts to late first set and early second set AA, holding in the first game of the third set and then working his way to break point at 30-40. A wry smile from the Canadian when his backhand goes wide. And it’s jeu Cobolli two points later. It’s AA 6-4, 4-6, 1-1 Cobolli.
If Cobolli goes on to win from here, he’ll set up what I think would be a first all-Italian men’s grand slam semi-final. The last of the quarter-finals, the battle of the Matteos, takes place in this evening’s session.
Cobolli wins the second set 6-4
Cobolli holds to 15, which leaves AA serving to stay in this second set. Which the Canadian does with some aplomb, rattling through four unanswered points. Now Cobolli is serving for it – and the Italian demands the ball back for the second point after taking the first. It’s a superstition that works. 30-0. 40-15. Game and set Cobolli, with an unreturned serve down the middle. Since this match has moved indoors Cobolli is a man transformed.
A few results on the other courts: Britain’s Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, favourites of this blog, have advanced to the men’s doubles semi-finals, coming through in straight sets. Andy Lapthorne and Gregory Slade both lost in the quad wheelchair singles quarter-finals, but Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, the six-times defending champions in the wheelchair doubles, are into the last four.
The official line is that the roof has been closed because of the threat of rain, rather than the wind. Not that that will probably calm Sabalenka. And AA is anything but calm as he falls 15-40 down on serve … and Cobolli absolutely batters the life out of the ball to claim the first break point! From 3-1 down, Cobolli leads 4-3; what a 10-minute turnaround.
Sabalenka said in her post-match media conference that she “just wants to quit tennis right now”, before adding: “Hopefully in a few days I’ll be back on track mentally.” She looked absolutely shellshocked. And she’s probably also seething if she’s watching AA and Cobolli, now they’ve got the luxury of playing under the roof. Cobolli holds and it’s 3-3 in the second set, after AA took the first 6-4.
A few winters ago Cobolli went to Juan Carlos Ferrero’s academy and studied Carlos Alcaraz, which helped to transform his game. He could do with some Alcaraz fireworks here, but it’s actually AA who self-implodes, crashing his volley into the net. 30-40. And Cobolli breaks straight back!
AA is now taking it to Cobolli, he has the greater power of the two and is able to combine that with more precision under the roof, and it’s 15-40, two break points. Some big hitting from both players in a 13-shot exchange on the first BP … but it’s AA who looks the more assured, and he converts at the first time of asking! He’s extended his lead to a set and a break, 6-4 and 3-1 to the good.
A no-nonsense hold to 15 from Cobolli, surpassed by a hold to love from AA. The first of this quarter-final. With the roof closed, they’ve both found their serving groove, and AA leads 6-4, 2-1.
McEnroe is happy, and the players definitely will be too, because the roof is being closed between sets (something Sabalenka will sorely wish happened during her match). We can now focus on the tennis. And with AA and Cobolli now able to find their range much easier, an absorbing 20-shot rally ends in Cobolli’s favour! Deuce. Cobolli then nails a backhand down the line – a shot he couldn’t go for in the first set – and it’s break point! But three points on the spin for the first-set victor extends AA’s lead to 6-4, 1-0.
Auger-Aliassime wins the first set 6-4
Will Cobolli feel the scoreboard pressure, knowing he has to hold serve to stay in this opening set? A wayward forehand at 15-0 owes probably as much to the wind as it does nerves; it’s really stirring up again. Cobolli decides to play it safe at 30-15 – you can’t blame him for that given the conditions they’re facing – but AA thumps away a winner. 30-all. And then deuce. There’s so little between these two. But Cobolli clunks into the tramlines and AA has a set point! Cobolli, his purple shirt flapping in the wind, lands a big forehand … and AA can’t get it back! Deuce. Advantage Cobolli. Deuce. Advantage AA. Set point No 2. Cobolli clobbers long and AA seizes a tight, edgy opening set!
The nerves are probably jangling too – AA is bidding to reach his first grand slam semi-final on clay, Cobolli his first at any major – and AA is in a little bit of service trouble at 15-30. A snarling serve gives the Canadian the initiative in the next point, and he doesn’t let up. 30-all. Cobolli then chops long – before making amends with a deep, dangerous forehand that AA can’t get back. Deuce. Advantage Cobolli, courtesy of a double fault from AA. Cobolli can’t convert the break point and AA accelerates through the next two points for another hold. It’s 5-4 to AA.
At 3-3 and 30-15, AA turns into a wall at the net, forcing the error from Cobolli. That’s the best point of the game, and AA takes the next one too to hold. This quarter-final hasn’t fully exploded into life yet – the conditions certainly aren’t helping – I understand the organisers want to keep this as an outdoor tournament wherever possible, but closing the roof would undoubtedly raise the level of both players. As if to illustrate this, AA spoons a forehand WAY beyond the baseline with Cobolli leading 40-30, and Cobolli holds for 4-4.
Tumaini Carayol
Ninety minutes into her 14th consecutive grand slam quarter-final, it seemed like nothing could stop Aryna Sabalenka from another straightforward day on-court. Even in gusty conditions and after a few nervous games while closing out the opening set, the world’s best women’s player seemed to be cruising as she established a 6-3, 4-1 lead.
Instead, that moment would mark the beginning of one of the most shocking collapses of Sabalenka’s career. Arrested by tension and unable to play with any semblance of freedom, the top seed completely fell apart. She was overcome by a supreme fighting performance from the 25th seed Diana Shnaider, who recovered to produce the greatest win of her career by defeating Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Sabalenka was attempting to reach her 13th major semi-final in her last 14 appearances. She has been so consistent in the best events in the world and she has improved so much as a tennis player over the years. Yet the one consistent theme in her career has been how frequently she has been completely shackled by her tension and nerves in the most decisive moments. The nerves she displayed in last year’s final to Coco Gauff, however, did not even come close to her collapse here. From 6-3, 4-1 up, a completely healthy Sabalenka lost 11 of the final 12 games of the match.
As shocking as Sabalenka’s performance was in the second half of the match, Shnaider played her part to perfection and she never stopped believing. Once Sabalenka began to look vulnerable, she locked down her game, cutting out errors in the rallies and maintaining immaculate depth. When she had opportunities to unleash with her one big weapon, her wicked lefty forehand, she did not hesitate. As she fought her way back into the second set, she landed a number of brilliant down-the-line forehands, including on break point for 5-5.
The Russian’s momentum did not stop at the beginning of the third set. Suddenly embroiled in a constant stream of long, physical rallies in such slow, windy conditions, Sabalenka simply could not find a way to regain control of the point. With her opponent completely frazzled, Shnaider refused to let Sabalenka back into the match. She gradually wrestled control of the baseline and struck her forehand spectacularly throughout the final set to secure the biggest win of her career.
You can read the rest of Tumaini’s match report here:
The 25-year-old AA began his career in the era of the Big Three – in fact he’d beaten Federer, Nadal and Djokovic before turning 21 – though he was unable to convert the otherworldly talent he’d shown as a youngster into major titles. Perhaps the expectation got to him; the injuries certainly did. But he’s now in the rare position of knowing there are no slam champions left in the draw. He’s very much aware, like every other man left, that this is a chance that may not come his way again. Cobolli holds to 30 before AA squeezes through from deuce. AA leads 3-2.
A poor drop shot from AA allows Cobolli a chance at 15-30. But Cobolli is raging against the wind after conceding the next point for 30-all – both players would do well to accept the conditions they’re facing, the extra energy spent fighting it won’t do them any favours – before seeing a break point come and go at 30-40. Cobolli has an easy volley at deuce but flaps into the net. AA goes on to hold for 2-1 – the first hold of this quarter-final.
John McEnroe believes that the roof should have been closed given the nightmarish conditions. It it remains open for the whole of this match, I’d say that probably favours Cobolli, who is the slightly lower-ranked player but has the touch and dexterity of feet and hands to cope with the constant adjustments needed to play in this wind. For Cobolli this is a second grand slam quarter-final after his last-eight appearance at Wimbledon last year; for AA (as he shall be known from now on, to save my fingers), he’s now reached the quarter-finals at all four majors. His best results have come on faster surfaces – both hard court and indoors – so the slower, heavier conditions today may give the edge to Cobolli, who then totally disproves my thoughts by dropping serve from deuce. They’ve traded breaks and it’s 1-1.
I wonder how unsettled both Auger-Aliassime (seeded No 4) and Cobolli (seeded No 10) are feeling having seen what happened to Sabalenka. Auger-Aliassime looks bewildered on the first point, perhaps more by the wind than the occasion, as he misjudges the overhead and Cobolli capitalises. 0-15. 0-30, when AA double faults. AA gets his side of the scoreboard moving for 15-30, but soon slides 15-40 down. The crowd, still stunned by Sabalenka’s exit, barely react to the early break points, but AA does, calmly saving them both, the second with a serve-volley. But Cobolli comes straight back at the Canadian, and Italian breaks at the third opportunity. Cobolli leads 1-0.
