The China Mail - Cobolli sinks Auger-Aliassime to book French Open semi spot

By eliminating the Canadian fourth seed, Cobolli has ensured that there will be an Italian man in the final come Sunday.

At the start of the tournament, that eventuality seemed almost a given with top seed Jannik Sinner on a scintillating clay-court run.

However, the world number one stunningly lost in the second round and blew the top half of the draw wide open.

Three of his compatriots have more than taken advantage of that opening, with Matteo Berrettini and Matteo Arnaldi set to battle it out in the night session in the other top-bracket quarter-final.

The winner of that match will meet 10th seed Cobolli in the last four on Friday, after the 24-year-old overpowered world number six Auger-Aliassime in their last-eight encounter on Court Philippe Chatrier.

It will be the first all-Italian Grand Slam men's semi-final in history.

However, Cobolli said he won't watch the later match between "two of my good friends".

Instead, he said he will adhere to his superstition of not altering a winning routine.

"I will do my same routine as every day," he said. "I go dinner with my friends, I go to bed and I sleep."

After an evenly-contested quarter-final across the first three frames, Cobolli earned the crucial break of serve in the fifth game of the fourth set.

He then served out to 15, booking his first Grand Slam last-four appearance with a stinging cross-court forehand winner.

By reaching the semi-finals, Cobolli will enter the ATP top 10 for the first time in his career.

"I felt like this is the chance of my life," Cobolli said. "I have to give everything in my matches and today I did that so I'm really happy."

G.Tsang--ThChM