Flavio Cobolli advances to Roland Garros final after Matteo Arnaldi pulls out with viral illness

Flavio Cobolli will face Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros men's final after Matteo Arnaldi withdrew ahead of the all-Italian semifinal match due to a viral illness.

It is just the fourth time in the Open Era that a Grand Slam semifinal, on either the men's or women's side, has ended as a result of a walkover. The last time it happened was a Wimbledon in 2022, when Rafael Nadal withdrew ahead of his scheduled match against Nick Kyrgios.

Arnaldi officially withdrew from the semifinal match less than an hour before it was slated to begin, and told reporters afterwards that after an uneventful Thursday, he started feeling unwell around dinnertime.

"I woke up at 1:00 a.m., and I started vomiting, and I wasn't feeling the best," he said. "Then I tried to sleep. I couldn't sleep at all. At 6:00, 7:00 a.m. I vomited again. This time was pretty bad.

"We called the doctor in the [hotel] room. He came, gave me some stuff. I was hoping that it would just be something from dinner or something like that, but then throughout the day, I couldn't eat. Every time we did something or would drink, I would go back to the bathroom. ... I tried to get ready and tried to stay as much as I could here and tried to see if I could go on court, but every time I get up, I feel dizzy, and I don't feel like the best.

"I'm pretty sure if I eat again, I'm not going to feel, like, good. That was the right decision for me to take."

Arnaldi previously played 18 sets through four matches to reach his first major quarterfinal, and in the previous round, was the beneficiary of a retirement when Matteo Berrettini pulled the plug with Arnaldi ahead 7-5, 5-2 due to a hip injury.

The 25-year-old, who came into the tournament ranked outside the Top 100, had spent 17 hours and 42 minutes on court through four matches, which was nearly two hours more than any other player took to make the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam tournament since the ATP began recording match times in 1991.

"It's tough, because for how the tournament was, for how many hours I spent on court, I was feeling actually very good," he said. To have to withdraw from the first slam semifinal is not something that you wish to anybody."

"I feel sorry for everyone that got the tickets and came, all the Italians that came to watch us," he added. "I feel happy for him that he's going to play the final, but at the same time, sorry because we couldn't play a match, you know, so it's tough to be here."

In addition to reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal, Cobolli will also break the Top 10 after Roland Garros, achievements he says are bittersweet because of how they happened.

"It's also tough for me to speak now," he said. "You know, when he came to me almost one hour ago, I almost cried. You know, it's something that you don't expect at all. I was ready to play this match. When he came, I was completely sad for him.

"But, at the same time, of course I'm really happy for the result that I reached this week. My dad also came to me right before him, and we had a big hug together with the whole team for achieving for the Top 10. Every time that I make the best ranking, we all together have a big hug. We did the same routine as always.

"Yeah, now I'm sad and happy at the same time."

Cobolli trails 3-1 in his all-time head-to-head against Zverev, but beat him the last time they played in Munich last month.

"I think I will be ready, for sure, for the final, but I also know that I will be fresh," he said. "Maybe [the walkover] helped; maybe not. I tell you after the final."