Cobolli through to final as Arnaldi withdraws with virus

Italy's Matteo Arnaldi says withdrawing from his first Grand Slam semi-final through illness is an experience he would "not wish on anybody".

Arnaldi, 25, was due to play his close friend Flavio Cobolli in the French Open last four on Friday, but pulled out shortly before the match because of a virus.

The announcement was made at about 17:35 BST, 25 minutes before the Italian pair were due to walk out on court in Paris.

"I tried to see if I could get on court but every time I get up I feel dizzy. It was the right decision to take," said 104th-ranked Arnaldi, who had never previously gone past the fourth round of a major.

"I just know I can't move, I can't eat and I can't drink - there was no way I was able to play."

Cobolli, 24, will play German second seed and title favourite Alexander Zverev - who beat Jakub Mensik - in his first major final on Sunday.

"It is so, so tough. When he came to see me, I almost cried," said 10th seed Cobolli.



The two players appeared together at a news conference within minutes of Arnaldi's withdrawal being announced.

In order to avoid Cobolli getting ill, the pair cautiously sat at opposite ends of the interview table.

Arnaldi described how he became ill on Thursday night, waking up with stomach ache at about 1am.

He said he began vomiting and was unable to sleep before calling a doctor to his room in the morning.

"It's difficult to be here - this is not want I wanted to do," Arnaldi said.

"I hoped it was something from dinner but throughout the day I couldn't eat or drink and kept going to the bathroom.

"Withdrawing from a first Grand Slam semi-final is not what you wish to anybody."

Arnaldi had spent 19 hours and 42 minutes on court en route to the semi-finals in Paris - the longest anyone has played on their way to the last four of a major since 1991.

Arnaldi apologised to the 15,000 fans, with the majority having already arrived at Roland Garros for the match.

Ticket-holders will receive a full refund, French Open organisers said.

"I feel sorry for everyone who came to watch," added Arnaldi.

In place of the cancelled match, Cobolli held a practice session on Court Philippe Chatrier in front of thousands of fans who remained.

Highly unusual to pull out of a semi-final - analysis

A player pulling out of a Grand Slam semi-final is highly unusual - even more so when it happens about an hour before the match is due to begin.

Arnaldi's withdrawal is only the third time a Grand Slam men's singles semi-final has ended in a walkover since the Open era began in 1968.

The most recent example came when Rafael Nadal decided he was not able to take on Nick Kyrgios in their Wimbledon semi-final four years ago.

Nadal had battled through the pain of an abdominal injury to beat Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals, then announced the following day - 24 hours before the semi-final - he was unable to play Kyrgios.

The other occasion came when Richard Krajicek was not fit enough to play Jim Courier at the Australian Open in 1992.

Courier later remembered, external he was told about Krajicek's decision about an hour before the match - very similar to when Arnaldi told Cobolli.

When the PA system in the French Open media centre clicked into life on Friday evening, it was immediately obvious a big story was about to break.

A hush instantly descended among the hundreds of journalists before it was announced, firstly in French and then English, that Arnaldi was withdrawing.

Within 10 minutes, Arnaldi and Cobolli - close friends who have known each other since they were about 10 years old - appeared together in the main interview room.

Arnaldi looked visibly peaky - with a pale and weary complexion - while Cobolli was equally as subdued.

This was not the way either man wanted their semi-final day to pan out.

-BBC