The opening set of the quarterfinal match of the 2026 French Open between Falvio Cobolli and Felix Auger-Aliassime was a mess. The players had to battle through heavy wind with the roof open on Court Philippe-Chatrier, and it was the Canadian who was getting the better of the match.
Cobolli, meanwhile, was struggling to hold his serve. He would lose three of his first service games, and Auger-Aliassime took set one 6-4. That was just before the decision-makers at Roland Garros decided to close the roof in hopes the wind would not have the same effect. Both ends of the court are still somewhat open, but below on the court, the conditions were going ot be improved.
The advantage would have seemingly favored the Canadian, one of the best players on the ATP in indoor conditions. The stunning part was that he wouldn't be in his match against Cobolli.
Flavio Cobolli reaches the semifinals of the French Open by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime
The Italian not only kept moving extremely well, getting to shots by Auger-Aliassime that the Canadian clearly didn't think Cobolli would get to, but he also fixed his serve. By the end of the fourth set, he had held 13 straight games and was rarely challenged.
Auger-Aliassime was the higher-ranked player, but not quite the clay-court player that Falvio Cobolli is, and it began to show. The second and third sets remained close, with Cobolli taking each 6-4, but all the momentum was on his side. The score was close, but no one could have doubted who was in total control of the match.
In the fourth set, Cobolli got an early break, and as well as he was serving, the question was no longer whether he would move on to the semifinals, but if he would get another break of Auger-Aliassime to make the score look even worse for the Canadian.
The Italian couldn't get another break, but he did keep holding serve to take the final set 6-4. By winning the match, Flavio Cobolli is in the semifinals for the first time in any Grand Slam or Masters 1000 event.
The 24-year-old will next face another fellow Italian, but he doesn't know which. He will take on the winner of the Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi match for a spot in the French Open final.
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