LONDON : Flavio Cobolli paid tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo with the Portuguese great’s trademark “Siu” celebration after beating Alex de Minaur to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals on Monday.
The Italian sealed a 7-5 7-6(4) 6-3 victory with a 135 mph ace before launching into Ronaldo’s iconic mid-air spin and landing, prompting fans on Court One to join in with chants of “Siu”.
“I love his celebration. I love him,” Cobolli said.
“I will cheer for Portugal (against Spain at the World Cup) tonight because of Ronaldo.”
Cobolli, who played in AS Roma’s youth academy before pursuing tennis, had celebrated his previous-round victory with a surfing gesture inspired by Brazil forward Matheus Cunha.
The win over fifth seed De Minaur sent Cobolli into his first Wimbledon quarter-final and reinforced his growing reputation after his run to the French Open final earlier this year.
“Alex is a stratospheric player. So beating him three sets to none makes me feel like I’m ready,” Cobolli said.
“This gave me a lot of answers, and I think it provided a lot of answers to my opponents, too.”
Cobolli recovered after De Minaur led 5-2 in the second set and held two separate breaks of serve in the third.
The Italian said his family had extended their stay in Wimbledon after originally booking accommodation only for the tournament’s opening week.
His routine has included dinners cooked by his father and coach, Stefano Cobolli, before watching World Cup matches with friend and Watford midfielder Edoardo Bove.
Cobolli will face Britain’s Arthur Fery in the quarter-finals.
Elsewhere, Italy’s Jasmine Paolini advanced to the women’s quarter-finals with a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory over Filipino teenager Alexandra Eala.
Paolini admitted she tried not to be distracted by eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, who watched from the Royal Box alongside Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli.
“He is my idol,” Paolini said.
“I was like during the match, ‘Please stay focused, stay focused. Don’t think about he’s here.'”
Paolini will next play Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, who beat American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger 6-4 6-4.
The hottest day of this year’s tournament saw temperatures reach 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit), with players using ice towels during changeovers to cope with the conditions.
