Roland Garros: Arnaldi epic against Tiafoe, is in the quarters along with Berrettini and Cobolli

Matteo Arnaldi did the feat and won in the fifth set an epic match with Frances Tiafoe that seemed to be compromised: he lost two sets to one and, in the fourth set, was down 4-1, 40-15. He managed to straighten out the match, one point at a time, believing in it, supported also by the crowd: it ended 7-6, 6-7, 3-6, 6-4. The emotion for the quarter-finals at Roland Garros is irrepressible. It is the first time for three Italians - with him Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli - in this position at the Paris Slam.

The match was tough and intense. After the first two hard-fought and extremely balanced sets, in the third Arnaldi had a physical decline, which was even more evident in the fourth set (coach Colangelo, to shorten the exchanges, had suggested he try to respond more aggressively on his opponent's second serve). Tiafoe in the fourth set took the lead, as mentioned, but Arnaldi held on to the match going 4-2, and then broke at 5-4 (and 30-0) for Tiafoe in the last chance he had to save himself. He then played a great tiebreak. The long pause of both players in the locker room, before starting the fifth set, gives an idea of the energy expended in over four hours, which would shortly become five and a half. What's more, with sensational points, impossible recoveries, heavy winners, diving for the ball. Arnaldi, in the fifth game, broke his service game on 2:00 in a perfectly played game and continued on his way, who knows with what energy. The American broke on 3-4:00 and served on 4:00 in a blazing stadium: he lost the game to zero, Matteo had the lucidity of someone who had been playing for half an hour. The 6-4 victory came, liberating - after a double fault, a last dreaded break point and a defensive recovery with Tiafoe in disbelief - on the third match point. Now it will be derby with Matteo Berrettini for a place in the semifinals.

And after Cobolli, Berrettini too is in the quarters at Roland Garros! An unthinkable result, at the beginning of the tournament, for Matteo, who had been through injuries and new beginnings often broken by bad results. Instead, today he also beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo - after his splendid victory over Comesana - in three sets: 6-3, 7-6, 7-6.

The first set was a one-sided affair, with the Argentine fumbling and suffering on the backhand, and Berrettini concrete and focused on his service game. Then the match was well-balanced, reaching 6-all without break points, and here the Italian raised the level, dominating the tiebreak 7-2 with aggressiveness and confidence. In the third set, however, Matteo was somewhat surprised to have his service game broken on 2 points, a gap that he recovered in extremis, on 4-5, shouting a "we are here" that preluded the break: 6-5 for him. Cerundolo at bat kept his cool and won the 6-all but failed to transform three set points: he had to surrender to Matteo who closed, with a great heart, 8-6.

It was not a good match: several free errors, rare quality plays. But it matters little. Thanks to this run in Roland Garros (where the last time he reached the quarters was in 2021), Matteo jumped from number 105 to 47 in the ranking. A great confidence boost. And now it is Matteo Arnaldi's turn against Frances Tiafoe.