PARIS: Matteo Arnaldi pulled out of his French Open semifinal against Flavio Cobolli on Friday after a virus left him unable to play, handing Cobolli a place in his first Grand Slam final without hitting a ball.
The withdrawal was announced just 25 minutes before the match was due to begin, turning what should have been one of the day’s main sporting events into a walkover.
Arnaldi said he had vomited multiple times on Thursday night and felt dizzy when he got up, and that he could not see a way through a match at that level in those conditions. “Every time I get up I feel dizzy and I don’t feel like the best,” he said in explaining why he stopped. “I’m pretty sure if I eat again I’m not going to feel good, so that was the right decision.”
The timing mattered because Cobolli, the 10th seed, had spent the week pushing deeper into the draw and was preparing to play for a place in the final. Instead, he was informed an hour before the semifinal that Arnaldi could not go on. Cobolli said he was so moved by the news that he almost cried, adding that he had been ready to play and was sad for his opponent even as he acknowledged the result that carried him through.
