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Roland Garros semi-finalist loses in Wimbledon first round to player ranked outside the top 90

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Matteo Arnaldi produced some of his best tennis to advance to his first Grand Slam semi-final last month.

The Italian, 25, defeated Tallon Griekspoor, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Raphael Collignon, Frances Tiafoe, and Matteo Berrettini en route to the last four in Paris.

Unfortunately for Arnaldi his run ended in unfortunate circumstances, as he was forced to withdraw ahead of his semi-final match against Flavio Cobolli due to illness.

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Many tennis fans may have expected Arnaldi to kick on following his exhilarating performances in the French capital.

However, that hypothetical outcome has not transpired.

Matteo Arnaldi has lost in the first round of Wimbledon

Tuesday was a day to forget for the world number 35.

Quentin Halys, the world number 95, defeated Arnaldi 3-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-3 on Court 4.

Matteo Arnaldi of Italy plays a backhand against Quentin Halys of France during their Gentlemen's Singles first round match on day two of The Championships Wimbledon 2026 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30, 2026 in London, England.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Halys, who has twice reached the third round in south-west London, will play Corentin Moutet or Marcos Giron in the next round.

As for Arnaldi, he is currently set to move up one spot in the ATP rankings, despite losing on Tuesday.

This is because the 25-year-old also lost in the first round of last year’s Wimbledon Championships – to Botic van de Zandschulp.

Following his defeat in London, the Italian will now shift his attention to the North American hard-court swing.

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An aerial view a roofless Centre Court and the outside courts taken from the BBC elevated camera position during day four of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 28, 2007 in London, England.
Photo by Glyn Kirk/AELTC/Pool/Getty Images

How have the other Roland Garros semi-finalists performed at Wimbledon so far?

Flavio Cobolli, Alexander Zverev, and Jakub Mensik were the three other players to qualify for the Roland Garros semi-finals last month.

Zverev is scheduled to play talented Belgian youngster Alexander Blockx later on Tuesday.

The German will hope to avoid another upset at Wimbledon, after exiting in the first round of last year’s event.

France's Arthur Rinderknech (R) shakes hands with Germany's Alexander Zverev after winning their men's singles first round tennis match on the second day of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2025.
Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images

Cobolli is also scheduled to play on Tuesday – against Argentine player Mariano Navone.

At the time of writing, Jakub Mensik is currently one-set-all against British wildcard Toby Samuel.