Flavio Cobolli advanced to the quarter-finals after a dramatic and uneven victory, racing through the opening two sets in just 1 hour and 25 minutes before losing momentum and allowing his opponent, American qualifier Eliot Spizzirri, back into the match. Cobolli broke twice in each of the first two sets and appeared in full control, but the contest turned in the third when he began to tighten under pressure and eventually dropped the set in a tiebreak.
The Italian, seeded 10th and ranked among the top remaining men in the draw, then looked to have seized command again in the fourth set. He surged to a 4-0 lead and later reached match point while ahead 5-1, but Spizzirri refused to surrender. The American saved himself twice in the third set and continued to fight in the fourth, breaking Cobolli’s rhythm and forcing another tiebreak after the Italian failed to close out the match at 5-4.
Cobolli recovered just enough composure to win the tiebreak and complete the victory in 3 hours and 21 minutes. Speaking on court after the match, he admitted how close he came to letting the match slip away, saying the contest was not finished until the final point and acknowledging the tension of trying to close it out. In his press conference, he gave a more reflective assessment, saying that when victory is almost secured, he starts thinking too much, which affects his game. He said his natural instinct is simply to play aggressively and focus on his best tennis, but nerves can change how he performs.
The result sends Cobolli into the last eight of a Grand Slam for the second time in his career. His previous major quarter-final came at Wimbledon last season. At this event, he is now the third-highest seeded man left in the tournament and will next face either Felix Auger-Aliassime, the fourth-seeded Canadian, or unseeded Chilean Alejandro Tabilo.
Cobolli’s journey also brought a personal note of nostalgia. A former youth player in the Roma football system, he returned to Court Philippe-Chatrier after his press duties to join Paris Saint-Germain players Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue and Warren Zaire-Emery in parading the Champions League trophy PSG won in Budapest on Saturday. Cobolli posed for a selfie with the trophy and spoke about his past in football, saying he played with Riccardo Calafiori, Edoardo Bove and Matteo Cancellieri during his time in the Roma setup. He added that he ultimately chose tennis over team sports, explaining that he prefers individual competition and feels better in himself when he plays tennis.
