Our men’s Roland Garros final is now set, but not in the way we would have wanted.
After all, having just watched Alexander Zverev secure his spot by beating Jakub Mensik, many were looking forward to the all-Italian battle between Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Arnaldi.
Sadly, that was not to be, with the latter of those competitors having been forced to withdraw before the clash even got underway.
Arnaldi has since confirmed that a virus has ruled him out of contention, and Tim Henman has spoken about his sadness for the star who was set to play in his first-ever Grand Slam semi-final.
Tim Henman reacts as Matteo Arnaldi withdraws from Roland Garros
Speaking live on TNT Sports, Henman gave his immediate reaction as this shocking news came through.
Naturally sympathetic, he claimed: “I am so sad and disappointed. First and foremost I am sad for Arnaldi. He has worked so hard. For Cobolli it is a really bizarre scenario. There are times early on in a small tournament you get a walkover, and you say you are disappointed to move on, but actually you are quite pleased because you get a day off.
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“But semis of a Grand Slam for both of them. It’s really a nightmare. It’s a nightmare for the fans and the tournament.
“They have one match in the evening session, and it doesn’t take place. You just feel so awful for Arnaldi.”
Zverev spoke about the French Open crowd after he won his semi-final, and he will hope to have them on-side this Sunday as he bids to make history.
Flavio Cobolli’s head-to-head record vs Alexander Zverev
Well, in rather unceremonious fashion, we can now start looking ahead to the men’s Roland Garros final, much sooner than was anticipated.
And, it’s worth combing through Cobolli’s head-to-head record against Zverev, given they will clash for that all-important title on Sunday.
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It actually makes for quite intriguing reading.
Whilst many will justifiably be backing the German to pull through, as the far more experienced and accomplished player, it is actually Cobolli who has won their most recent meeting.
He beat Zverev in the Munich semi-finals in April, but trails his upcoming opponent in the head-to-head. That represented his only win in four attempts.
